A male co-passenger on a late-night IndiGo aircraft from Mumbai to Guwahati is accused of groping a female passenger when the cabin lights were lowered on Saturday.
The airline said that a First Information Report (FIR) was filed against the individual after the event, and that he was then turned over to the Guwahati police. Around nine o’clock in the evening, the IndiGo aircraft 6E-5319 left Mumbai and arrived 15 minutes after midnight. This is the fourth instance of sexual harassment involving passengers on aircraft that has been recorded in the last two months.
The passenger told a reporter that she had been sleeping after the cabin lights were lowered while she was in an aisle seat on the aircraft. Before falling asleep, she had lowered the armrests, but when she awoke, they were raised and her male companion was leaning very close.
I thought that was strange since I clearly recalled putting the hand down, she remarked. I was just half asleep, so I didn’t give it much thought before putting the armrest back down and continuing to sleep. After some time, she eventually woke up and felt the hands of the male passenger on her, but since he had his eyes closed, she decided not to draw any immediate conclusions. She therefore kept his eyes half-closed and seemed to be sleeping while she waited.
After a few minutes, when she saw the other passenger grabbing and caressing her improperly, the lady said she wanted to scream but was unable to do so because she “froze.” She described how she mustered up the guts to scream and pushed the man’s hand away when he attempted to grope her again. She then turned on the seat lights and made a cabin staff call. He began to apologize for what he did while I was screaming, sobbing, and recounting the situation, the lady said.
In a statement, IndiGo claimed that the male passenger had been turned over to the police in Guwahati after the aircraft had landed because the female passenger had reported the male passenger for sexual harassment. The airline offered their help and said that a police report (FIR) had been filed against the suspect with the local police.
After registering the complaint at the police station, the female passenger praised the CISF, the airline, the airport, and the personnel who assisted her.