Air India cancelled the ticket of Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad, who was scheduled to fly from New Delhi to Pune on Friday. IndiGo has also cancelled a Delhi-Pune ticket booked for him to fly on Friday evening. Air India had first cancelled his ticket for the same on a 4 pm flight on Friday after he got into an argument and hit a staffer on Thursday.
IndiGo immediately cancelled Gaikwad’s Delhi-Pune ticket – the second such cancellation for the MP on this route for Friday. Airline officials have one advice for the Shiv Sena lawmaker: book a rail ticket or charter a plane to reach Pune.
The unrepentant MP said that he would not apologise to the Air India staffer whom he assaulted, and instead blamed the airline employee for the incident. While he remained unapologetic and dared authorities to take action against him, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan today said that she would look into the matter and take appropriate action if someone complained to her.
An 80-second video of the incident which has emerged on social media on Friday shows Gaikwad assaulting Air India staffer Shivkumar even as crew members are heard pleading with him to stop.
The first part of the video purportedly shows him trying to push the AI staffer down from the plane which was parked on tarmac even as a voice is heard screaming, “No, no sir. Don’t do that sir, don’t do that.”
A woman official is seen pleading with him. “You are an MP, you shouldn’t do like this…”
Mr. Gaikwad, 57, was seen sitting unconcerned in seat 1F on the front row, calmly parrying her entreaties.
“Why do you want to go to jail, sir? You will face a murder charge,” the official says, apparently referring to the politician’s attempt to push Sukumar Raman down the step-ladder.
“Let them (charge me). I face many cases,” Mr. Gaikwad shoots back.
However, Air India said it has also written to the Shiv Sena communicating the decision to cancel the ticket. Shiv Sena secretary Anil Desai told that he has asked Gaikwad to change his travel plans as the party doesn’t want the tensions to escalate.
Gaikwad was booked on Delhi to Pune flight AI 849 scheduled for departure at 4 pm today.
“We have intimated Shiv Sena that we can’t fly Gaikwad on his return flight because our employees are agitated. He has assured us that the party will advise the MP not to fly Air India,” said an Air India source.
RAVINDRA GAIKWAD -A REPEAT OFFENDER
Over a dozen charges have been slapped against Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad over the years. Gaikwad faces another charge related to culpable homicide not amounting to murder under IPC Section-304. Ravindra Gaikwad also faces two charges related rioting.
Ravindra Gaikwad has been charged under IPC Section 506 for criminal intimidation and also under IPC Section 336 for charges related to act endangering life or personal safety of others.
Ravindra Gaikwad faces charges related to voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty under IPC Section-332.
