“No human should go through this! I am probing the matter myself, after which appropriate action will be taken,” Scindia said, citing the teenager as a threat to fellow passengers and stopping her from flying with her to Hyderabad. Said about. Guardian.
Keeping in mind the sensitive nature of the incident, we have decided to conduct a fact-finding investigation by a 3-member… https://t.co/tv5bJCevCD.
– Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (@JM_Scindia) 1652157788000
IndiGo claimed that the special needs boy was “in a state of panic” and had not calmed down enough to board the flight.
The boy’s father Nirmal Kumar wrote a letter to Scindia demanding action against the airline and the employees involved in the episode. He said that three IndiGo officials tried to meet him at his home in Hyderabad to sort out the matter, but he refused.
IndiGo CEO Ronojoy Dutta later issued a statement saying that he stands by the decision of the airline employees at the Ranchi airport on Saturday. He offered the child an electric wheelchair as a “small token”.
DGCA team to visit Ranchi, Hyderabad
All of us at Indigo are really distressed by this special incident. Since April, we have carried more than 75,000 disabled passengers on our airline … During the check-in and boarding process, our intention was definitely to take the family,” he said. Since the teenager “panicised.” IndiGo’s CEO said, in the boarding area, “the airport staff was forced to take a difficult decision in line with the security guidelines”.
“After reviewing all aspects of this incident, it is our view as an organization that we made the best possible decision in difficult situations.”
IndiGo made arrangements to take the teenager and her parents to Hyderabad the next morning.
A DGCA official said that it received a report from IndiGo, following which a three-member team was formed to probe. “They will visit Ranchi and Hyderabad and collect appropriate evidence within a week from today. Further action will be taken based on the result of the said investigation.”
In his letter to Scindia, the boy’s father blamed two employees – Rukhsana and Sanjeet – for his son’s harassment. “The airline is defending the misbehavior of its employees and trying to evade responsibility. I have pointed out that despite requests from me, my wife and over 50 co-passengers, two IndiGo employees persisted with us. Stayed and abused.”
Dr. Mohan Maharaj, critical care specialist and director of the Visakhapatnam-based hospital said, “I was present at the site and several people were requesting IndiGo staff to allow them to board the child. I tried to explain that there was a problem. No. Baby, but the staff didn’t budge.”
Another passenger, Dr Sumit Ray, termed IndiGo’s statement as “a farce and untrue”.