Airlines ‘ban’ Gaikwad, but Sena MP remains unrepentant

New Delhi: Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad, who is at the centre of a raging storm for assaulting an elderly Air India employee, was today barred from flying all major domestic airlines in an unprecedented step in Indian aviation history.

The MP from Maharashtra's Osmanabad, however, continued to brazen it out and remained unapologetic about his conduct.

Meanwhile, an FIR has been registered against him on the basis of the complaint lodged by Air India for repeatedly hitting with sandals 62-year-old Duty Manager R Sukumar on a Pune-Delhi flight after it landed here yesterday over not being able to fly business class despite having boarded an all-economy flight.

The national carrier had also lodged another complaint against him for holding up the aircraft.

Taking retributive action, the national carrier cancelled Gaikwad's return ticket to Pune after he boastfully asserted he would board the afternoon flight. Private airline IndiGo followed suit as, in an unprecedented show of unity, several air operators imposed a "ban" on him.

The Federation of Indian Airlines, which has Jet Airways, SpiceJet, IndiGo and GoAir as its members, issued a statement declaring it has decided to "ban" the MP from flying on its aircraft.

"Air India and FIA member airlines have decided to ban this Member of Parliament from flying on all our flights with immediate effect. We believe that exemplary action should be taken in such incidents to protect employee morale and public safety," FIA said in its press statement.

"In the interest of the safety and security of our colleagues and other customers we also propose the promulgation of a "no fly" list which shall include the names of all unruly passengers," FIA said.

"Such customers are not welcome on our carriers and we seek the support of the Government and security agencies to enforce such a "no fly" list," it added.

The non-FIA member airlines --AirAsia India and Vistara -- also came out in support of the ban, which left Gaikwad "grounded" in the national capital.

Gaikwad said he has also filed a police complaint about alleged misbehaviour by Air India officials apart from writing to the Civil Aviation Ministry on the issue.

Notwithstanding the all-round attack, an unabashed Gaikwad appeared on national TV again, declaring he had no regrets over the incident and demanding that the AI employee apologise instead.

He nonchalantly made it known to the media that he had watched a movie-- 'Badrinath ki Dulhaniya'--hours after the unsavoury incident in order to "relax" and advised journalists to watch it too. He said one should be "tension-free".

"Tension-free hona chahiye na...you also watch the movie...it's very good," Gaikwad told reporters who sought to know from him whether he had gone to watch a movie after the incident.

"Kaahe ka pashchaataap (what is there to repent)?" he shot back when asked by reporters at Maharashtra Sadan whether he regretted the incident.

"I will not apologise...he (Sukumar) should come and apologise... then we will see. A 60-year-old man should also know how to behave," he said.

Sukumar, who by Gaikwad's own admission, was hit with sandals "25 times", demanded that the MP must be punished.

Sukumar, who is with the state-owned airline's ground handling subsidiary, said the assault on him was akin to a violent road rage incident. "Apart from hitting me with sandals several times, he repeatedly used MC, BC (cuss words in Hindi," he said.

"Police action should be taken to restrain these people from doing this kind of thing again. That is the most important thing. They should not keep on doing it. They should not take it as their birthright to assault a person," he told PTI while recounting the incident which has sparked nationwide outrage.

As the MP remained unrepentant, members of Aam Aadmi Sena, a splinter group of Aam Aadmi Party, descended on the IGI airport after watching Gaikwad claim on TV he would board 4 PM Air India flight to Pune despite the airliner having cancelled his ticket, to administer him a doze of his own medicine.

Carrying roses and slippers, the members told journalists they had come to display "Gandhigiri" and demand an apology from Gaikwad.

"We will first show Gandhigiri by giving a flower to the MP and ask for an apology. If he doesn't do that, we will use the chappal (slippers) and give him the same treatment he gave yesterday to the Air India employee," one of them said.

The agitated members of the group dispersed after Gaikwad's no-show at the airport.