Air India ‘pee-gate’: Police to record statements of two crew members today

Air India urination incident: Statements of two crew members onboard the New York-Delhi flight on which a 34-year-old man allegedly urinated on an elderly female co-passenger will be recorded today. A senior police official said the two crew members could not join the investigation since they were not in Delhi. 

The official was quoted as saying by the news agency PTI, “Since the two crew members onboard the Air India flight on November 26 were outstation, they could not join the probe today. So, we have called them tomorrow to get their statements recorded in connection with the incident.”

Police summoned nine crew members in the case, of which seven have already recorded their statements. Officials are also trying to get in touch with other passengers who were on the flight. 

Accused in the case – the Wells Fargo India chapter vice president Shankar Mishra – allegedly urinated on a septuagenarian female co-passenger in a drunk condition on the Air India New York-Delhi flight on November 26, 2022. Delhi Police registered an FIR on January 4 on the basis of the woman’s complaint to Air India and arrested him from Bengaluru on Saturday. 

After this, Mishra was sent to a 14-day judicial remand while rejecting a plea for his police custody. Mishra admitted during the interrogation that he does not remember the incident since he was sleepy and that he was under the influence of alcohol. Officials noted that it was only when his co-passengers told him about his actions that he apologised to the victim. 

Mishra further claimed that he and his friends took turns driving a car while travelling in the US and could not get proper sleep. 

Reacting to the incident, Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekharan said that Air India's response should have been much swifter. Chandrasekharan said in a statement, “The incident on Air India flight AI102 on November 26th, 2022, has been a matter of personal anguish to me and my colleagues at Air India. Air India’s response should have been much swifter. We fell short of addressing this situation the way it should have been.”

(With agency inputs)

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