New Delhi: The woman who was the victim of the alleged urination during Air India flight from New York to New Delhi narrated the story of the incident, saying that the cabin crew forced the offender to sit next to her and brought him back in front of her against her will. She added that the suspect "unzipped his pants and peed on her" and continued to stand, reported news agency ANI. The alleged incident occurred on November 26, 2022, when a Mumbai-based businessman urinated on a female passenger on an Air India flight. As a result, the airline was forced to prohibit the man from flying for the next 30 days.
In her complaint letter to Grievance Air Sewa, the elderly woman, who is in her 70s, said, “I would like to submit a complaint about my appalling experience travelling with on Air India Business Class Flight AI102, Seat 9A, from JFK to New Delhi on 26 November 2022. During the course of the flight, shortly after lunch was served and the lights were switched off, a male business class passenger seated in 8A walked to my seat, completely inebriated. He unzipped his pants and urinated on me and kept standing there until the person sitting next to me tapped him and told him to go back to his seat, at which point he staggered back to his seat. I immediately got up to notify the stewardess of what had happened. My clothes, shoes and bag were soaked in urine.”
“The bag contained my passport, travel documents and currency. The flight staff refused to touch them, sprayed my bag and shoes with disinfectant, and took me to the bathroom and gave me a set of airline pyjamas and socks. I asked the staff for a change of seat but was told that no other seats were available. However, another business class passenger who had witnessed my plight and was advocating for me pointed out that there were seats available in first class. The flight crew told me that the pilot had vetoed giving me a seat in first class. After I had been standing for 20 minutes, one of the senior flight staff offered me the small crew seat used by the airline staff, where I sat for about 2 hours. I was then asked to return to the initial soiled seat. Although the staff had spreadsheets on the seat, the area was still damp and reeking of urine and I refused to sit there. I was then given the steward seat for the rest of the journey,” she further said in her letter.
Shankar Mishra has been identified as the man who urinated on a female co-passenger, reported India Today. Shankar Mishra is vice president of the India Chapter of Wells Fargo, a California-based multinational financial services company.
On Thursday, officials from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) stated that Air India had submitted the report regarding the incident that occurred on November 26, 2013, when a male passenger urinated on a female co-passenger in the business class.
According to high-ranking government sources on Thursday, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has ordered Air India to conduct an internal investigation into the incident and submit the report as soon as possible, taking the urination incident seriously.
“Ministry of Civil Aviation takes serious note on Air India urination case. MoCA has asked Air India to provide all the details of the incident. MoCA has also asked Air India to hold an internal probe into the matter and submit the report as soon as possible. The probe should be time-bound,” the top government sources told ANI.
The man who allegedly urinated on an elderly co-passenger on an Air India flight was a Mumbai resident, according to Delhi Police, and he will be arrested as soon as possible.
“The accused is a resident of Mumbai, but his possible location is in some other state and the police team has reached there. We will arrest the accused at the earliest,” said Delhi Police.
Based on Air India's complaint, the shocking incident was the subject of an FIR by the police on Wednesday.
(With Agencies Inputs)