New Delhi, March 24 (PTI): State carrier Air India on Friday barred Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaekwad, who had assaulted its staffer, from its flights and even cancelled his return ticket to Pune from here, anticipating backlash by its employees
Gaekwad, who has been unapologetic about the incident on Thursday, had earlier on Friday said that he will be taking the Air India flight this evening
Air India said it has also written to the Shiv Sena communicating the decision to cancel the ticket. Shiv Sena Secretary Anil Desai told PTI that he has asked Gaekwad to change his travel plans as the party doesn’t want the tensions to escalate
Gaekwad was booked on Delhi to Pune flight AI 849 scheduled for departure at 4 PM on Friday
“We have intimated Shiv Sena that we can’t fly Gaekwad 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 today,” said an Air India source
“Our airport employees have said that they won’t attend to him and they won’t let him enter. In order to avoid any violence, we have written to Shiv Sena,” he added
Gaekwad told TV channels this morning, “I am booked on a 4 PM flight to Pune. I will take that flight. How can they not let me travel when I have a booking and I am their passenger.”
Desai, also an MP, said that he has “acceded” to Air India’s request and has also asked Gaekwad to “change his travel plans”
“An Air India official called me that their staff is upset over the issue. I have acceded to their request by asking my MP not to go ahead with his plan to fly Air India today,” said Desai
“I have also asked him to change his travel plans. We don’t intend to escalate the tension,” he added.
Shiv Sena MP refuses to apologise for assaulting airline staffer
Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad on Friday refused to apologise for assaulting an Air India staffer “25 times” with his footwear and said he would travel by the same airlines’ flight to go to Pune in the evening.
“I will not apologise. Why should I? It’s not my mistake. They should apologise first then (we) will see. I will go to Pune this (Friday) evening in a flight of the same airline. I have booked the ticket. I am a passenger,” Gaikwad said.
Asked how he would go to Pune when a case has been registered against him, the Osmanabad MP said he did not care about it.
“What is the nature of the case? I will go. My lawyer, my party and Uddhav Thackeray Saheb (Shiv Sena chief) will see to the matter.”
Gaikwad on Thursday assaulted an Air India official with his footwear after he was forced to travel economy class though he had an open business class ticket. The flight was an all-economy one.
A defiant Gaikwad admitted to beating the airline staffer “25 times” with his slipper accusing him of misbehaving with him when the flight landed in Delhi.
The incident happened when flight AI852 from Pune reached Delhi around 10.30 a.m. on Thursday.
The Osmanabad MP was later booked in two cases for assaulting the Air India staffer and delaying a scheduled flight.
IANS
