‘Leaving Me Bloody’: Man Alleges Assault by Air India Express Pilot at Delhi Airport, Airline Reacts

‘Leaving Me Bloody’: On Friday, a passenger of SpiceJet at the Terminal 1 of the Delhi airport accused an off-duty pilot of the Air India Express airlines in physically assaulting him after a dispute between the latter and the latter over the latter cutting the security line spiraled. The airline responded to the so-called incident by stating that the pilot is no longer on his official duties.

Ankit Dewan, one of the passengers, wrote a post on X when he stated that the captain of Air India Express, Virender Sejwal, battered him.

Also Read: Hardik Pandya Personally Checks Cameraman’s Wound He Injured, Applies Ice Pack and Hugs Him — Watch

“Me and my family were guided to use the security check that the staff uses (also the PRM check), because we had a 4 month old baby in a stroller,” Dewan wrote on X. He also stated that employees such as Sejwal were jumping queues before him and when Dewan addressed them both verbally, Sejwal attacked him.

“On calling them out, Capt. Virender, who himself was doing the same thing, asked me if I was anpadh (uneducated), and couldn't read the signs that said this entry was for staff,” he said, and requested to know whether it was permissible to such pilots in permission to fly who were unable to retain their composure. “Not able to excercise restraint, the AIX pilot proceeded to physically assault me, leaving me bloody,” the passenger wrote.

“My holiday is ruined. The first thing I have done here is see a doctor. My 7 year old daughter, who saw her father get assaulted brutally, is still traumatized & scared,” he added, asked if it was right to let pilots fly when they can’t keep their cool.

He also blamed the Delhi airport of mismanagement to have mixed the entry of staff with passengers who carried infants and caused havoc in the sensitive security point.

Also Read: R Madhavan Reacts to ‘Jealousy’ Buzz as Akshaye Khanna Gets Praise for His Role in Dhurandhar

“I was forced to write a letter stating that I will not pursue this matter further ... It was either write that letter, or miss my flight and throw the 1.2 lakhs holiday bookings down the drain,” he wrote, when he requested the Delhi Police as why he could not make a complaint after coming back on the holiday. “Must I sacrifice my money too, to seek justice? Will the CCTV footage disappear in the 2 days till I make it back to Delhi?” he wrote.

Air India Express, in their response to the X post that was made by Dewan, replied that the pilot had been immediately relieved off official charges and that he was being taken to task.

“We profoundly regret this incident at Delhi Airport, involving one of our employees who was traveling as a passenger on another airline. We extend our heartfelt empathy for the distress it has caused, and strongly condemn such behaviour,” it said in a statement.

According to news agency PTI, the sources quoted that Sejwal subsequently boarded an IndiGo flight at Bengaluru following the incident that occurred at the Terminal 1 of Delhi airport.

Also Read: Delhi Shrouded in Fog as Air Quality Stays ‘Very Poor’, AQI Remains High