Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Air India peeing row: Flight pilot made traumatised woman passenger wait for 2 hours before allocating seat, says co-flyer

Sugata Bhattacharjee, a US-based doctor of audiology who was seated next to the accused in the Delhi-bound flight’s business class, said it was “a poor judgement call by the captain”.

Air India peeing row: Flight pilot made traumatised woman passenger wait for 2 hours before allocating seat, says co-flyer

The pilot of the November 26 Air India flight from New York to Delhi that witnessed the unsavoury event of an inebriated man urinating on an elderly female co-passenger, made the traumatised flyer wait for nearly two hours before allotting her a fresh seat, a co-flyer has said in his complaint.

Sugata Bhattacharjee, a US-based doctor of audiology who was seated next to the accused in the business class on the flight, in a handwritten complaint to the airlines said the distressed passenger was made to go back to her soiled seat despite four seats in the first class being vacant.


In the complaint, a copy of which was reviewed by Press Trust of India, Bhattacharjee said he was seated on 8A (window) in the first row of business class, next to the accused Shankar Misra who was in seat 8C.

Shortly after lunch was served and the lights were dimmed on board AI 102 of November 26 (JFK New York to IGIA, New Delhi), the drunk male passenger seated in the business class seat walked to the woman's seat (9A), unzipped his trousers and urinated on her.

The lavatory was four rows behind his seat.

Bhattacharjee said he was woken up midflight when Shankar fell on him. "I initially thought he lost his balance due to a rough flight. However, as I was going to the restroom, I saw my two fellow passengers of 9A and 9C in distress," he said, adding the woman of 9A came to the gallery area, she was all wet.

"We were shocked to realise that my co-passenger (8C) was so intoxicated that he went to the next row and urinated on her," he wrote.

All this while, two air hostesses helped clean her up, change her clothes and sanitised her belongings and seat.

"The incidence has a multifaceted part to it. A senior citizen was subjected to trauma due to indecency of a passenger. She being a female had no idea how to cope with the obscenity," he wrote.

"I personally am bothered by the fact that the captain waited close to two hours before allotting her a fresh seat."

According to the victim's complaint, she was made to stand for 20 minutes and offered a small seat used by airline staff as no seat was vacant in the business class.

She sat on the small seat for about two hours and was asked to return to her own seat which was still damp and reeking of urine.

When she refused, the victim was offered the steward's seat for the rest of the journey, the complaint stated.

Bhattacherjee was all praise for the two cabin crew members who helped the woman clean up.

The non-pilot crew, he said, went above and beyond their call of duty "but when you have four first class seats vacant, you don't make a distressed passenger go back to her (soiled) seat with human remains and wait for a crew seat to be vacant to move her."

This, according to him, was "a poor judgement call by the captain".

Bhattacherjee reportedly asked the crew for a complaint book to note down his protest against the handling of the situation but was provided a piece of paper. He wrote his complaint on that paper.

(PTI)

More For You

Air India flight crash
Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft, operating flight AI-171 to London Gatwick, crashed into a medical hostel complex shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12.
Getty Images

Air India crash probe finds fuel to engines was cut off before impact

Highlights

 
     
  • Fuel to both engines of the Air India flight was cut off seconds before the crash
  •  
  • A pilot was heard questioning the other over the cut-off; both denied initiating it.
  •  
  • The Dreamliner crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, killing 260 people.
  •  
  • Investigators are focusing on fuel switch movement; full analysis may take months.

FUEL control switches to both engines of the Air India flight that crashed shortly after takeoff were moved from the "run" to the "cutoff" position seconds before the crash, according to a preliminary investigation report released early Saturday.

Keep ReadingShow less
Chinese vessel tracked in Bay of Bengal after disabling identification system

The Indian Navy and Coast Guard have consistently reported Chinese research vessel presence. (Representational image: Getty Images)

Chinese vessel tracked in Bay of Bengal after disabling identification system

A Chinese research vessel was detected operating in the Bay of Bengal near Indian waters while attempting to conceal its presence by disabling its Automatic Identification System (AIS), according to a report by The Economic Times, citing French maritime intelligence firm Unseenlabs.

The French company conducted a 16-day satellite-based survey tracking ships through radio frequency emissions. It monitored 1,897 vessels, with 9.6 per cent showing no AIS activity, indicating attempts to avoid detection. The survey raised concerns amid increased Chinese activity in the region.

Keep ReadingShow less
Asian-inspired garden earns
five awards at Hampton Court

(From left) Malcolm Anderson (RHS, head of sustainability) Clare Matterson (RHS director general), Lorraine Bishton (Subaru UK and Ireland, managing director) Andrew Ball (director, Big Fish Landscapes) Mike McMahon and Jewlsy Mathews with the medals

Asian-inspired garden earns five awards at Hampton Court

BRITISH Asians are being encouraged to take up gardening by a couple who have won a record five medals at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival.

“It’s a contemporary reimagining of a traditional walled garden, highlighting the British and Irish rainforests,” said Jewlsy Mathews, who was born in Britain of parents from Kerala, a southern Indian state known for its lush vegetation.

Keep ReadingShow less
uk weather

Amber heat health alerts have been issued across several regions of England

iStock

England faces widespread heat alerts and hosepipe bans amid rising temperatures

Highlights:

  • Amber heat health alerts in place for large parts of England
  • Hosepipe bans announced in Yorkshire, Kent and Sussex
  • Temperatures could reach 33°C over the weekend
  • Health risks rise, especially for elderly and vulnerable groups

Heat warnings in effect as UK braces for another hot weekend

Amber heat health alerts have been issued across several regions of England, with temperatures expected to climb to 33°C in some areas over the weekend. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) activated the warning at 12 pm on Friday, with it set to remain in place until 9 am on Monday.

The alerts cover the East Midlands, West Midlands, south-east, south-west, East of England, and London. Additional yellow alerts were issued for the north-east, north-west, and Yorkshire and the Humber, starting from midday Friday.

Keep ReadingShow less
Essex ladybird invasion

One of the largest gatherings was filmed on a beach at Point Clear

Dee-anne Markiewicz / SWNS

Swarms of ladybirds invade Essex coastline amid soaring temperatures

Highlights:

  • Ladybird swarms reported across Essex and Suffolk coastal towns
  • Hot weather likely driving the sudden surge in population
  • Sightings include Point Clear, Shoebury, Clacton and Felixstowe
  • Similar outbreaks occurred in 1976 during another hot UK summer

Sudden surge in ladybird numbers across the southeast

Millions of ladybirds have been spotted swarming towns and villages along the Essex coast, with similar sightings stretching into Suffolk. Residents have reported unusually high numbers of the red and black-spotted insects, particularly near coastal areas, with the recent hot weather believed to be a major contributing factor.

One of the largest gatherings was filmed on a beach at Point Clear, a village near St Osyth in Essex, where the insects could be seen piling on top of each other on driftwood and plants.

Keep ReadingShow less