Air travel in India is facing a new crisis which has been named as Thoothukudi Syndrome by the aviation experts. The phenomenon made its first appearance Chennai-Thoothukudi flight of the Indigo Air on Monday when an unruly female traveler shouted anti-BJP slogans during the flight which upset many passengers and the crew members.
“Down with the fascist BJP, Down with Tamilissai Sounderarajan,” shouted lois Sofia, a 28-year-old woman from Thoothukudi throughout the flight. She was annoyed because of the presence of Dr Tamilissai Sounderarajan, Tamil Nadu president of the BJP among the passengers. Sounderarajan who was sitting in one of the front rows kept her cool throughout the 60 minutes journey. Sofia continued her tirade against the Hindu party even as Dounderarajan was getting down from the aircraft. At the Thoothukudi airport lounge, she asked Sofia why she was raising slogans inside the aircraft while there was enough space outside the aircraft as well as the airport. The Thoothukudi woman was still in her fighting spirits and shouted back that she had every right to dissent. The BJP leader filed a complaint with the airport police and Sofia was booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Tamil Nadu City Police Act. “I was bothered about the safety of the passengers and crew and that’s why I maintained silence throughout the journey. I know well that one cannot shout inside the aircraft,” Dr sounderarajan told The Pioneer over phone from Thoothukudi.
Sofia who was arrested by the police and remanded last evening was let out on bail on Tuesday morning. But the entire political force in Tamil Nadu barring the BJP and the AIADMK came out in the open supporting Sofia. M K Stalin, the DMK president, lambasted the BJP for throttling the right to dissent and reiterated his stance that the Hindu party was Fascist by all means.
While most of the leaders of the Tamil chauvinistic outfits jumped into the fray supporting Sofia’s actions, M R Shivaraman, veteran bureaucrat, who was also the director general of civil aviation, told this newspaper that shouting inside the aircraft was illegal and an offence punishable with imprisonment and fine.
“Nobody is questioning your freedom of expression and right to dissent. But a passenger aircraft on a routine flight is definitely not the venue for it,” said the aviation expert.
A serving pilot with decades of flying experience said that Sounderarajan or any one of the passengers could have complained to the cabin crew about the woman. “The commander of the flight has enough authority to declare her as a disruptive passenger and ask for her arrest,” said the pilot.
Union minister Pon Radhaklrishnan asked Stalin whether others are allowed to should “Down with DMK and Down with Stalin” while the DMK chief was travelling by flight. ‘I am sure the DMK leader would see to it that the trouble maker was admitted to the nearest hospital,” said Radhakrishnan.
"let civil rights and democratic rights flourish. But it should not be at the cost of safety of passengers. We should not encourage the likes of Sofia or the Thoothukudi Syndrome. let civility be maintained, " said T G Mohan Das, commentator and a frequent flier.