BackGovt apologizes over Air India delays due to VIPs
Rijiju insists he wasn't aware of some passengers not being allowed to board a flight from Leh to Delhi
Premium
New Delhi: A major row erupted on Thursday over the offloading of three members of a family from a Leh-Delhi Air India flight to accommodate Union minister of state for home affairs Kiren Rijiju, Jammu and Kashmir deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh and an aide, forcing the government to apologize.
On 24 June, Rijiju, his assistant and Singh were to travel from Leh to Delhi. To accommodate them, three members of the family of an Indian Foreign Service officer, including a child, were disallowed from boarding the flight AI-446, according to reports. This also delayed the flight.
While Rijiju apologized for the inconvenience caused to the passengers, Singh alleged misbehaviour by the pilot and other Air India staff members.
The incident follows a similar one on 29 June, in which an Air India flight to Newark from Mumbai was delayed by nearly an hour when principal secretary Praveen Singh Pardeshi of the Maharashtra government, who was part of the eight-member delegation led by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on a US trip, forgot his passport with valid visa at home.
While the prime minister’s office has sought a report from the civil aviation ministry over these cases, civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju has apologized for these incidents at a press conference on Thursday evening. He said his ministry was getting all the facts about the two incidents. “I need to get to the truth, and I will do my duty," he said
Meanwhile, Fadnavis has threatened to file a criminal defamation suit against those attacking him over the incident.
“Enough is enough. Once I’m back to India I will initiate proceedings of criminal defamation," Fadnavis wrote on Twitter.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!
