Passenger hits IndiGo captain inside aircraft; arrested

The captain of the flight was making an announcement when he was attacked by the passenger. The viral video shows an angry passenger attacking the pilot. The airline has aset up an internal panel to address the issue.

New Delhi: In a viral video, a passenger was seen hitting the pilot of an Indigo flight while he was making announcement about delay in departure at Delhi airport on Sunday.

According to official sources, the incident took place on Sunday. Later, the passenger was then taken to a police station and arrested. According to the police, the co-pilot of flight number 6E 2175, between Delhi and Goa, and other security personnel gave a complaint regarding one passenger assaulting and misbehaving with them in the flight.

Meanwhile, the airline has formed an internal committee to address the matter. The committee, would decide on appropriate actions and discuss putting the accused passenger, Sahil Kataria, on the 'No Fly List' under the category of unruly behaviour.

The airline's official statement stated, "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 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 behavior."

The male passenger assaulted Anup Kumar, the pilot of the Delhi-Goa Indigo flight (6E-2175) while the latter was making announcement about the delay in departure at around 1 pm. An Instagram user posted the video on his story. The crew members were seen trying to calm the agitated passenger and urging others to stay buckled in.

After the video of the incident went viral on social media platforms, the aviation security agency has taken cognizance and initiated a probe into the same. Meanwhile, IndiGo has lodged a formal complaint against the passenger, and the process of filing a case is underway, the airline sources said.

Earlier, Delhi Police have assured appropriate action into the incident. "We received a complaint and are taking appropriate legal action, a senior official with Airport police said.

On Sunday, Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport witnessed chaotic scenes as dozens of flights were delayed due to dense fog and bad weather conditions. This left hundreds of passengers stranded at the airport for several hours. As per officials, nearly a dozen flights to Delhi were diverted due to unfavourable weather conditions on Sunday.

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