Banned After Slippergate, Shiv Sena's Ravindra Gaikwad Threatens To Sue Airlines

Mumbai: Shiv Sena lawmaker Ravindra Gaikwad, who had to take a train after he was blacklisted for his assault of an Air India employee, is back with a vengeance, literally. The lawmaker -- who had brazenly admitted to hitting an Air India employee 25 times with his slippers -- now wants revenge against airlines.  On Thursday, Air India had put him on a no-fly list, banning him as a passenger on its flights. Other airlines had followed, forcing the lawmaker to take a train from Delhi to Mumbai.

"I will take legal action against Indigo and Air India for cancelling my confirmed tickets," Mr Gaikwad, who faces a case of assault, said today.  

While his party said it did not support the assault, it had also expressed reservation about Air India's stern decision.  Party leader Sanjay Raut said Air India should ponder over "what would happen if the public decides to blacklist the airline".

The air-hostess who had tried to intervene when Mr Gaikwad tried to hit Mr Sukumar today said she was "not scared of Mr Gaikwad since he was particularly nice to me". "I stopped him from hitting Sukumar and pushing him... I was not sure Mr Gaikwad wanted to throw Sukumar out."

On Thursday, Mr Gaikwad was caught on camera abusing and roughing up a 60-year-old duty manager of the national carrier for not being able to fly business class in an all-economy Pune-Delhi flight. He even demanded that the 60-year-old, Duty Manager Sukumar Raman, whom he nearly pushed off the ladder used to disembark the plane, should apologise to him.

"I hit him 25 times with my slipper," the parliamentarian from Osmanabad later told television channels. Mr Gaikwad has also asked Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to investigate why he was treated poorly by the national carrier.

Mr Gaikwad has said he would be back in Delhi on Wednesday. His mode of transportation, however, remains unclear.