You are here: Home > Mumbai > Mr Patel, take action against unruly crew

Passengers allegedly assaulted by Kingfisher airlines ground staff  to approach civil aviation ministry; demand their immediate sacking

The high drama that unfolded between passengers of a Patna-Ranchi-Mumbai Kingfisher flight and its crew at Ranchi's Birsa Munda international airport on Monday night, after they were stranded for over 10 hours, continued into Day 2. Fliers, who alleged that the airline's ground staff assaulted them, have decided to approach the Ministry of Civil Aviation and are demanding action against them.

Beaten: Passengers of a Patna-Ranchi-Mumbai Kingfisher flight want action to be taken against the airline's ground staff who were allegedly manhandled and misbehaved with them at Ranchi airport

Passengers onboard Kingfisher flight IT 3571, got into a scuffle with the airline staff, as they were not provided the promised food and accommodation after they were grounded following a technical snag. The altercation turned ugly when the airline employees allegedly assaulted five passengers. 

Ashok Tiwari, who was among those manhandled, said, "We have decided to write a letter to Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel as well as the Kingfisher management about the dispute. The airline must take stringent action against the unruly staff; in fact they should throw them out. We are following up the case with the Ranchi police, where we have filed a complaint."

A senior airline official was arrested last night after the police received a complaint, but was granted bail shortly, informed the police.     

Praveen Kumar Singh, senior superintendent of police, Ranchi said, "We are investigating all the aspects of the case and have also asked for the CCTV footage at the airport. Primary investigations has revealed that the both parties -- staff and passengers -- were involved in the fight."

MiD DAY was the first to report about the scuffle, after the passengers landed at the Mumbai airport at 4 am yesterday. 

The Other Side

Kingfisher airlines, which had rubbished the report of the scuffle yesterday, has ordered a detailed inquiry in the matter. Prakash Mirpuri, spokesperson, Kingfisher airlines said, "We apologise to all our guests for the inconvenience and the trauma they faced at the airport yesterday. We have already ordered an inquiry and are investigating the case from all angles to get a clearer picture about the incident. If any of our employees are found guilty, action will be taken against them. We believe in giving our best to our passengers."