Hyderabad: Standup Comedian Kunal Kamra poked at Air India on Wednesday after the airline put a man on no-fly for 30 days for allegedly urinating on a female co-passenger on a flight from New York to Delhi on November 26, 2022.
Kamra, who was in news in early 2020 after he was banned from flying by not one but five carriers, tweeted that there were "2 Air India's". He shared screenshots of two tweets -- one from Air India dated 28 January 2020 that announced Kamra's suspension from flying on any Air India flight "until further notice", and another from Wednesday in which the carrier said it was suspending for 30 days the man who was drunk and urinated on a woman on the Air India November 26 flight.
For the unversed, Kamra was put on a no-fly list after he accosted controversial journalist Arnab Goswami aboard an IndiGo flight from Mumbai to Lucknow on January 28, 2020. Kamra had then posted a video clip on Twitter wherein he can be seen asking Goswami if he was a "coward or a journalist or a nationalist".
Kamra was banned from flying by IndiGo and eventually four other airlines -- Air India, SpiceJet, GoAir and Vistara -- for his “unruly conduct” on the basis of a directive issued by the Ministry of Aviation. IndiGo initially banned him for six months and later reduced the same to three.
Also read: AI recommends 'no fly list' for drunk man who urinated on woman onboard NY-Delhi flight
His latest reaction is a sly dig at Air India for apparently taking two different stands when dealing with "unruly passengers". While Kamra was not even flying Air India, the airline still put him on a no-fly list "until further notice" as compared to the latest case wherein the airline has responded with just a 30-day ban for a drunk man who urinated on a female senior citizen travelling in a business class.
To mention, the country's aviation regulator the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has sought a report of the incident from the airline. "We are seeking a report from the Airline and shall take action against those found negligent," the DGCA said on Wednesday. Air India has lodged a police complaint regarding the November 26 incident when the flight was on its way from John F Kennedy international airport in New York to Delhi.
"Air India has lodged a police complaint regarding the incident which took place on November 26 when the flight was on its way from JFK to Delhi," an Air India official said. In the aftermath of this incident, Air India formed an internal committee that recommended that the male passenger be placed on a "no-fly list," the official said.
"The passenger has been banned from flying with Air India for 30 days or till the decision of the internal committee, whichever is earlier. If found guilty, action will be taken against the unruly passenger as per regulatory guidelines," an Air India spokesperson said.
