Kolkata: Crew members and a passenger on an IndiGo flight 6E 6517 from Delhi to Kolkata lodged complaints against each other early on Tuesday after a dispute over alleged chanting of a religious slogan, consumption of alcohol on board, and instigating flyers while the flight was stranded at the parking bay in Delhi during a three-hour delay due to operational reasons.
The crew accused the passenger, a lawyer, of creating a disturbance, while the lawyer alleged harassment and denial of basic services by the airline staff. Bidhannagar Police said they were probing both accounts.
In her complaint, an air hostess alleged that the passenger seated in 31D boarded the aircraft in an inebriated condition and began urging fellow passengers to chant ‘Har Har Mahadev'. She said he even wanted to leave the aircraft during the delay and later rallied other passengers to protest.
According to the complaint at NSCBI airport PS, after take-off, Sharma was found concealing a bottle of soft drinks and smelled of alcohol, and when questioned by the crew, he drank the contents quickly.
The crew warned him of possible de-planing. He was handed over to security after the flight landed in Kolkata.
The lawyer, however, denied the charges and filed a counter-complaint. He said he greeted the crew with ‘Har Har Mahadev' while boarding without knowing her religion and had no intention to offend.
He insisted he did not consume alcohol on board, claiming instead to have a bottle of beer at Delhi airport before boarding, for which he had a purchase invoice. He further alleged that the crew kept flyers inside the aircraft for more than three hours without a pilot and did not serve food during the delay.
According to his plaint, when some passengers, including him, questioned the situation and recorded videos, the crew threatened him with false accusations.
He also alleged financial losses of about Rs 4.8 lakh due to the delay and named the air hostess and another crew member as having threatened him with dire consequences.
"I have already lodged a complaint with IndiGo and DGCA and will also pursue the matter legally," said the lawyer. An IndiGo official said the cabin crew informed them that the flyer was "unruly" and "drunk". On the flyer's plaint, the official said they were looking into it.
"We have received complaints from both parties," a Bidhannagar Police officer said. The flight, which was scheduled to take off at 7.30 pm, finally took off at 10.27 pm and reached Kolkata at 1.09 am on Tuesday.