Kolkata: A 23-year-old air hostess from Howrah district of West Bengal on Tuesday alleged that she has been verbally abused, threatened and physically assaulted by her neighbours.
Sudipa Adhikari who works for a private airline for over two years resumed her duty as domestic air travel picked up the pace. She had to face verbal and physical assault of the neighbours as they continue to label her 'corona-carrier'.
“Neighbours look down upon me and harass me by calling 'corona-carrier'. They don't allow me to enter our locality and my parents are not being able to move out either because of their threat. The shops nearby are not selling us anything. A few days back I was physically assaulted when I was feeding stray dogs, I was told to move out of this locality," the air hostess said.
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Sudipa claimed that people living nearby have resorted to name-calling and have questioned her choice of profession. “The airline I work with has taken several safety measures, even the government has asked all airport facilities to follow strict COVID guidelines yet people are threatening me,” she added.
Reportedly, a complaint has been filed with the Howrah City Police and cops said, probe is underway. But this fresh incident once again highlights the stigma associated with the COVID-19 virus and the ordeal faced by few who have to answer the call of duty amidst such trying times.
Earlier in March, a similar case was reported from Kolkata when a cabin crew posted a video narrating her ordeal on social media which went viral.
