NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra on Thursday alleged that she was harassed by a group of men on board an IndiGo flight from Kolkata to Delhi. She reported the incident to the cabin crew.
The MP accused the men of leering at her and endangering her safety.
IndiGo will be able to take formal action only after a formal complaint is registered.
In a post on X, the Krishnanagar MP said she was travelling to Delhi to attend a meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence. Her post read: “Was on seat 1F on 6E719. Four to six men boarded as a group, leered at me, and went to the back of the aircraft. When the flight landed and before the doors were opened, this is what they did and filmed it. This is no ‘citizen anger’. This is harassment and it violates my safety on an aircraft. There is no way these louts can get away with this harassment inside an aeroplane.”
She also tagged the Civil Aviation Minister, urging action, and called on IndiGo to review the crew report and place the individuals on a ‘no-fly list’.
Moitra also shared a 28-second video recorded just before the flight landed in Delhi and before the doors were opened. In the audio, the men are repeatedly heard shouting “Chor, Chor, TMC Chor” and “Jai Shri Ram”.
Late on Thursday night, the MP sent a detailed formal complaint to the Director General of the aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the Civil Aviation Minister, the Public Grievances Officer in the Ministry and the Nodal Officer of IndiGo airlines. They were sent by Speed Post and e-mail.
The incident comes in the backdrop of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s victory in the West Bengal elections.
Asked whether any action could be taken against the men allegedly involved, a source said that action can only be taken after the victim files a formal complaint with the airline. In order to place any unruly passenger on the ‘no-fly list’, a committee examines the incident in accordance with Civil Aviation Requirements. It comprises a retired judge, a representative from another airline, and a representative from the airline involved. Based on the severity of the incident, the committee may decide to place the passenger on the list for three months, six months, or a longer duration.