The outpouring of outrage notwithstanding, it's hardly surprising that the Member of Parliament who brutally assaulted an Air India staffer on Thursday is from the Shiv Sena. The minimum qualification for entry to the party is a history of goondaism; it is the party's badge of honour. That it was flaunted not on the streets of Mumbai, but in elite surroundings - the inside of an aircraft - is probably why reactions are strident.

He lashed out at the senior staffer with his slipper because he was asked to fly economy class, despite holding a business class ticket. This is the same MP who infamously shoved a roti into the mouth of a fasting Muslim staffer at the Maharashtra Sadan in 2014. There was a murmur of outrage, before the incident was quickly forgotten.