Two days after Lois Sofia, the 28-year-old woman from Thoothukudi, who shouted “Down with Fascist BJP” slogans during the Chennai-Thoothukudi flight, who was arrested by Tamil Nadu Police and granted bail by a district court, the controversy has failed to die down.
With all political parties in the State barring the BJP and the AIADMK extending support to the woman passenger for her freedom of expression and right to dissent, security agencies are worried over the future of air travel in Tamil Nadu because of the incident , being described as Thoothukudi Syndrome. Sofia reportedly shouted at Dr Tamiliussai Sounderarajan, president of Tamil Nadu BJP who was travelling in the same flight. This was the first incident of this kind in the recent past though there were a couple of instances when unruly passengers had created problems during the flight.
“I do not know what will happen if some Sangh Parivar activists start raising slogans in aircraft in which leaders of the DMK or the Congress are travelling. This is a threat which has to be nipped in the bud. Political rivalries and activism should be kept out of the aircraft,” said a senior intelligence official in Chennai airport.
Shanmukhasundaram, the lawyer who represent Dr Sounderarajan in the case told The Pioneer that this was a serious issue. “I can understand the ire of the DMK, the Congress and others towards the BJP leader. But please remember that even standing up during the flight itself is against aviation rules. There is a sense of decency and decorum to be observed during the flight,” said Shanmukhasundaram.
What is haunting aviation seniors is the “uniqueness” of Thoothukudi. “The region is notorious for all kind of murders and agitations. The anti-Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant agitation has its base in Thootrhukudi. The Sterlite agitation and riots that resulted in 15 deaths are still fresh in the minds of the people,” said the intelligence official.
Meanwhile efforts are on to extricate the woman, reportedly a research student in a Canadian University from the case. S A Sami, her father, had told journalists that his daughter was not familiar with rules in the aircraft. “She is a science student and ignorant of anything other than her subject of learning. If this case gets dragged on, it may affect her studies in Canada,” Sami told reporters.
The magistrate who granted her bail had asked Sami to see to it that Sofia does not get into any such troubles in future. Pilots and experienced cabin crew members expressed their surprise over the indifference of the Indigo crew to take action against the “unruly passenger”.
The incident comes closely after a group of sword-wielding students of a city college in Chennai terrorised passengers and pedestrians alike while traveling in a city bus last Wednesday. Video of students traveling on the foo board of buses in Chennai with swords and shouting slogans have gone viral in social media.