It took public outrage and a letter to the Tata Group Chairman for Air India to act against the inebriated male passenger who had urinated over a senior citizen woman co-passenger seated in the business class of the airline during a flight from John F Kennedy international airport in New York to Delhi. Air India on Wednesday banned the passenger for 30 days while the Delhi Police registered a case on a complaint against him by the airline.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has sought a report on the incident from the airline and the National Commission for Women (NCW) also asked the Chairman, Air India to intervene in the matter and sought a detailed action taken report in the next seven days. Interestingly, the said passenger had walked scot-free after the flight landed in Delhi despite the passenger having alerted the cabin crew.
The incident came to light only after a letter from the woman to Tata Group Chairman N Chandrasekaran surfaced. In the letter she had recalled her harrowing experience on the flight. The incident happened on the Air India flight AI-102 which was travelling from New York to Delhi two months back on November 26.
Air India stated that it has constituted an internal committee to probe lapses on part of the airline's crew and “address the deficiencies that delayed quick redressal of the situation.” According to Delhi police, based on the complaint of the victim given to the Air India, a case has been registered under Indian Penal Code sections 294 (obscene act in public place), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and 510 (misconduct in public by a drunken person) as well as under Aircraft Rules.