Family Offloaded From Flight At Mumbai Airport For Alleged Unruly Behaviour

A family of four was offloaded from an IndiGo flight at Mumbai airport on Tuesday, after one of them allegedly pushed a female crewmember when she didn't allow him to use the washroom since it was being cleaned.

The family also filed an FIR against one of the ground staff members of the airline, who they claimed forcefully held a female family member's hand.

Tina and Sunny John, their infant daughter Johana and mother-in-law Nitu had boarded IndiGo flight 6E 215 (Kochi-Ahmedabad via Mumbai) in Kochi.

Tina John, in her complaint, said, "Sunny (59), being a diabetes patient, wanted to use the washroom while other passengers were boarding the flight when it was stationed in Mumbai but he wasn't allowed to.

However, when Sunny saw the pilot using the washroom, he forced the crew to allow him in as well."

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According to airline officials, the passenger pushed one of the female crewmembers after which the airline security decided to offload the family. It was then that they were asked to deboard the aircraft and one of the ground staffers handed over the baggage to the lady.

"The ground staff handed over someone else's bag to me and since I wanted to prove how they mishandle baggage I did not return it. It was then that the ground staff held my hand tight to snatch the bag," Tina said in her statement.

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Airport officials, who were present at the spot, said the passengers weren't ready to deboard the aircraft, after which the airline staff sought help from Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel. All four of them were taken to Airport police station at the domestic terminal. There, the family complained against the ground staff member who had handed them the wrong baggage, and the police officials lodged an FIR under Section 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the IPC.

"The family couldn't believe the fact they were made to deboard just because they wanted to use the washroom. However, the airline sticks to their claim that they had offloaded the family since one of them had pushed a female crewmember," said a cop.

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Airline speak

An incident of unruly behaviour was reported on IndiGo flight 6E 215 enroute Kochi to Ahmedabad via Mumbai on Tuesday, wherein three passengers and an infant were offloaded in Mumbai on grounds of misbehaviour with the crew. While the aircraft was stationed in Mumbai, the transit male passenger wanted to use the aircraft lavatory. However, since it was undergoing cleaning, a crewmember requested him to use it once it was cleaned. The passenger upon hearing this pushed the crewmember. His wife too pushed another crewmember. The Captain then took a decision to offload both the passengers along with their infant.

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IndiGo requested the CISF to escort the passengers off the plane as they refused to deboard the plane and created a ruckus on board. Since the passengers were travelling with an infant, IndiGo was happy to accommodate the other lady passenger and her child on the next flight free of cost, since they did not involve themselves in the fight, however, the family refused to take up the offer. We regret the inconvenience caused to the passengers, and hope to serve them once again on-board IndiGo.

- Spokesperson, IndiGo