Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad 'grounded' for hitting Air India staffer

The FIA, which has IndiGo, SpiceJet, Jet Airways, GoAir as its members, has banned the Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad from flying.

New Delhi: Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad, who assaulted an Air India staff member, on Friday boarded a train to Mumbai, after AI and all private carriers refused to fly him.

When asked to comment on the Air India incident, Gaikwad refrained from commenting further saying his Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray or party leader Anil Desai will speak on the issue.

Earlier, the Delhi Police registered an FIR against Gaikwad for assaulting a 60-year-old Air India officer with sandal over being unable to travel business class despite having insisted on boarding an all-economy flight.

The police filed the FIR after a complaint by Air India and its staff member.

Meanwhile, Gaikwad also submitted a complaint against Air India before Delhi Police, alleging alleges that he was pushed and yelled on.

The Shiv Sena MP's complaint said he was made to travel by Air India on Economy class even as he had business class ticket.

The Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) today banned Gaikwad from flying on Air India and four private airlines for assaulting an Air India employee.

After he refused to apologise to the Air India staffer whom he assaulted on Thursday, the airline not only cancelled his ticket for New Delhi-Pune flight scheduled for today but also blacklisted the Shiv Sena MP.

Notably, the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), which has IndiGo, SpiceJet, Jet Airways, GoAir as its members, has banned the Shiv Sena MP from flying.

Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathy Raju has promised that action would be taken against him.

The decision was taken a day after Gaikwad thrashed an Air India employee repeatedly with his slipper after he was forced to travel in economy class from Pune to Delhi despite holding a business class ticket.

Video footage of the incident also showed the MP from Osmananabad in Maharashtra trying to push down the employee, R Sukumar, from the plane despite pleading from other airline officials to behave.

A common practice among international and some private Indian airlines, this is the first time the Indian national carrier has blacklisted a rowdy passenger.

Sukumar, the employee who was attacked, said he first requested the MP to deboard in English but was told to speak in Hindi.

When he began to speak in Hindi, Gaikwad flared up and hit him.

All through Thursday and Friday, the Shiv Sena leader refused to apologize, saying the airline staff was rude. He said he had the backing of party chief Uddhav Thackeray.