"Violence is not the way in any situation...," Air India's pilot Captain Zoya Agarwal on IndiGo incident

New Delhi: Following an incident of alleged assault against an IndiGo pilot on board, Air India's pilot Captain Zoya Agarwal condemned the incident and asserted that violence is not the way in any situation. "It sends chills down my spine, violence is not the way in any situation...forget about when it actually happens with the Pilot, a crew member is a professional, the same person is going to be flying all of you. Violence is not just a way," told by Air India's pilot Captain on Tuesday. Recalling Mahatma Gandhi ji's words, she said that there are better ways to handle our emotions and feelings.
"Whatever issues you have, you cannot address anything with violence," she added. Earlier on January 14, a passenger was seen hitting the pilot of an Indigo flight while he was making announcement about a delay in departure at Delhi Airport. Following an incident of alleged assault against an IndiGo pilot on board, the accused passenger was declared 'unruly', the airlines said in a statement on Monday. As per an IndiGo statement, the accused passenger was handed over to the local law enforcement agencies for further action. "On January 14, 2024, during the announcement of a flight delay by the first officer of flight 6E2175, a passenger assaulted the first officer. As per protocol, the passenger was declared unruly and handed over to the local law enforcement agencies for further action," the press statement of the IndiGo stated. The statement further mentioned that an internal committee has been formed to address the matter and inclusion of the passenger in the 'no-fly list' is under consideration. "The incident is being referred to the independent internal committee for appropriate action and inclusion of the passenger on the 'no-fly list' as laid down in regulatory guidelines. The safety and security of our passengers and crew are of paramount importance, and we maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards any such unacceptable behaviour," the statement further said. In a viral video, the agitated passenger, later identified as Sahil Kataria, was seen punching the co-pilot, identified as Anup Kumar, while he was announcing on board about flight delays. In the video, the co-pilot can be seen making an announcement. The passenger - wearing a yellow jacket runs up to the captain and slaps him on the face.
A flight attendant standing beside the co-pilot immediately comes to his rescue and stands in front of him. The passenger is then pulled behind by another man as commotion spreads inside the cabin. The flight attendant can be heard shouting out "You can't do this; you can't do this" as the man who caused the commotion heads back to his seat. The Delhi police have registered a case and started an investigation into the matter based on a complaint filed by Anup Kumar, the co-pilot of the IndiGo aircraft. As per government rules released in 2017 on unruly passengers, if an airline finds a passenger's behaviour unruly, the pilot has to file a complaint, which is to be investigated by an internal panel. During the probe, the airline can ban the flyer for a maximum of 30 days. The committee has to decide on the matter within 30 days and specify how long the flyer can be kept from travelling.