New Delhi: Self-styled godman Asaram Bapu and his devotees on Sunday created a scene aboard a Jet Airways flight, spelling trouble for fellow travellers.
The controversial religious leader was travelling to Delhi from Jodhpur jail for medical examinations at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) when the incident occurred.
According to those onboard Jet Airways Flight 9W 2552, Asaram's devotees refused to take their seats and shouted slogans throughout the length of the flight.
Due to the commotion, the flight, which was scheduled to fly at 10:30 am, got delayed and eventually departed at 2:00 pm.
Furthermore, the flight operated with improper air-conditioning, complained passengers, adding that it made people on board nauseated and suffocated.
According to The Economic Times, at around 1:30 pm, around 10 policemen were with Asaram, who was brought in on a wheelchair. Around 10-15 of his devotees were also accompanying him onboard.
Most of the devotees didn't take their seats at the time of takeoff, and those who did, didn't fasten seatbelts.
"'Seat belt ki kya zaroorat jab swayam bhagwaan hamare saath hain? (What is the need of a seatbelt when God Himself is travelling with us?),' said one of the passengers. Throughout the flight, they kept shouting 'Asaram Bapu ki Jai! Sai! Sai!" said Swati Daga, a public relations consultant.
Here are two videos shot by Dessidre Fleming, one of the passengers, an editor at online magazine MenXP:
The 72-year-old Asaram was arrested after a 16-year-old girl lodged a police complaint on August 20, 2013, accusing him of sexually assaulting her at his ashram in Jodhpur.
