FIR filed in Air India passenger assault case

An FIR has been registered in connection with the alleged assault of a passenger by an off-duty Air India (AI) Express pilot at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport after the police received a formal complaint from the victim via email.

Delhi Police said the complaint was sent by Ankit Dewan on Monday morning, three days after the alleged incident at Terminal 1. Following the receipt of the complaint, police registered a case under the appropriate sections of law and initiated an investigation.

The FIR has been registered at the IGI Airport police station under Sections 115 (voluntarily causing hurt), 126 (wrongful restraint) and 351 (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Airport DCP Vichitra Veer said the complaint was received through email and is now being examined. “After receiving the complaint, the matter is under investigation and further action will be taken based on the findings of the inquiry,” the DCP said.

Earlier, Delhi Police had stated that no formal complaint had been received in the matter and that they came to know about the alleged incident only after a social media post surfaced on platform X. Dewan had shared photographs of his bloodied face online, alleging he was assaulted at Terminal 1 of the Delhi airport. According to Dewan, the incident took place on Friday afternoon near the security checkpoint at Terminal 1.

He alleged that while standing in the queue with his family, he objected when Air India Express captain Virender Sejwal and some others allegedly tried to cut the line. Dewan claimed that the pilot first abused him verbally and then assaulted him physically in front of his family.

Dewan further alleged that the assault left him bleeding and traumatised his seven-year-old daughter, who witnessed the altercation.

He claimed he was attacked without provocation and sought police action after sharing the incident publicly.

Meanwhile, Captain Virender Sejwal has denied all allegations and offered a counter version of events. Through a statement issued by a law firm, Sejwal claimed he was subjected to verbal abuse, casteist remarks and threats against his family, including female members and a child.

The statement said reports on the incident had “misrepresented a personal incident” as a “pilot versus passenger” dispute and criticised what it termed a one-sided and incomplete portrayal of facts in the media. It asserted that the incident was purely personal and had no connection to Sejwal’s professional role.

“Captain Virender Sejwal was travelling as a passenger. He was not on flight duty, nor was the incident connected in any manner to his professional responsibilities. It was a purely personal matter between two passengers,” the statement said.

According to Sejwal’s version, Dewan initiated the confrontation by verbally abusing him without provocation and continued using abusive, degrading and threatening language even after being asked to stop. The statement claimed that the situation escalated into a physical scuffle in which Sejwal also sustained injuries.

It further said that CISF personnel intervened promptly at the airport and attempted to de-escalate the situation. “Despite repeated instructions by CISF officials to calm down, Dewan allegedly refused to relent and continued his misconduct in their presence,” the statement added.

Police said they are examining all aspects of the case, including statements from both sides and available evidence. The investigation is ongoing.