NEW DELHI: A teenage girl was allegedly deboarded from her flight from Dubai to Delhi by Air India staff on Tuesday due to her epileptic condition. The girl’s father took to social media and warned of criminal action against the airline.
In a post on X on Tuesday, the father, Praveen Swami said, “I’m livid. My teen deboarded from an Air India flight in Dubai, AI 406, because she told the crew that she has (well-controlled) epilepsy. There is emergency medication in her bag. She has not had a seizure in years.”
He added that the family has travelled around the world and had never come across any airline which needs a ‘fit to fly’ certificate. “Air India is asking for a meaningless medical certificate, no doctor can predict an attack,” he continued, tagging the Civil Aviation Minister too.
In a series of tweets, Swami charged, “My kid has the right to a life and is being subjected to the primitive and barbaric attitudes of Air India.” India has always batted for the dignity of people with disabilities and the world epilepsy was removed from the Hindu Marriage Act in 1954, he explained. Swami said, “I will pursue criminal action against the Air India crew under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.”
The teenager was later accommodated by Air India on an early morning flight. Stating that she was punished for telling the truth, he posted, “A doctor had to bail her out by telling lies. And I am sure this must be happening to a ton of people every day.”
The post went viral with many supporting the parent and calling out Air India’s behaviour as “unacceptable.”
One of the respondents, Jagan Mohan, pointed out that Air India itself did not debar any epileptic patient from travelling on its flights. Its website states, “After 24 hours of epileptic episode, if controlled, (the individual) must take a dose of medicine before flight.”
Air India did not give any official response when asked for it by this reporter. The airline responded to the parent on X by stating that his concern would be looked into. Swami later said a staffer from Air India was sorting out the mess. “I really hope they have a long, hard look at their rules because no kid should ever have to go through this.”
