AI staffer assault: Airlines put Gaikwad on no-fly list, Delhi Police register FIR

Earlier, Air India, IndiGo, Jet Airways, SpiceJet and Go Air banned Gaikwad on their flights with immediate effect. Photo: ABP News

NEW DELHI: In an unprecedented step, Air India and all private carriers on Friday refused to fly Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad for assaulting an airline employee. But the Lok Sabha member from Osmanabad in Maharashtra remained defiant and refused to apologize for repeatedly beating and trying to push down Air India officer R. Sukumar from the aircraft on Thursday. "Air India and member airlines have decided to ban this MP from flying on all our flights with immediate effect," the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) said in a statement. "We believe that exemplary action should be taken in such incidents to protect employee morale and public safety," added FIA Associate Director Ujjwal Dey. The Indian Commercial Pilots Association also sought an unconditional apology from Gaikwad and threatened to direct its members "not to operate any flight which has Gaikwad on board". The Sena leader earlier vowed to fly back to Pune but Air India cancelled his ticket. Besides Air India, the airlines which won't allow Gaikwad to fly as FIA members are IndiGo, Jet Airways, SpiceJet and Go Air. AirAsia and Vistara, which are not with FIA, joined them. The decision was taken a day after Gaikwad thrashed Sukumar repeatedly with a slipper after he was forced to travel in economy class from Pune to Delhi despite holding a business class ticket. As airlines ban errant Gaikwad, govt says law doesn't permit it: On a day domestic airlines decided to unitedly "ban" Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad from flying on their aircraft for assaulting an Air India officer, the government said there was no law under which such proscription can be made. Minister of State for Law, PP Chaudhary told a private television news channel that if a person commits a crime he can be punished but he cannot be prevented from flying. Gaikwad takes train route to Mumbai: After being barred by all the airlines, Ravindra Gaikwad took a train to Mumbai on Friday. Air India and six private airlines banned the 56-year-old MP from flying as he refused to apologise for the incident that triggered nationwide outrage. Booked for attempted culpable homicide: Delhi Police registered an FIR against Gaikwad for assaulting an airline employee, including attempt to commit culpable homicide. "We have registered a FIR and the case has been transferred to the Crime Branch for a through probe," Special Commissioner of Police Dependra Pathak said. Pathak said Gaikwad had been booked on charges of attempt to commit culpable homicide (Section 308 IPC) and assault or criminal force with intent to dishonour a person (Section 355 IPC). The Lok Sabha member from Osmanabad in Maharashtra is accused of beating up and trying to push down Air India officer R. Sukumar from the aircraft on Thursday. Asked why the police action came a day after the incident, Pathak said: "Yesterday (Thursday) evening we received the complaint and immediately it was sent for legal examination. "(Today) two hours back, the legal opinion came following which we registered the FIR."