Air India assault case: Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad likely to fly again

New Delhi: Decks for the embattled Shiv Sena MP, Ravindra Gaikwad to fly again are expected to be cleared after he sent a letter a regret to the Civil aviation minister, Mr Gajapathi Raju for allegedly assaulting an AI employee.

he Sena MP has been banned for flying any airlines after he allegedly beat up an elderly Air India staffer R. Sukumar with slippers. The regret letter came after the Sena MPs unleashed a pandemonium in Parliament and the Gaikwad’s defiant speech in Lok Sabha where he denied attacking any AI employee and tried to play the victim. The frenzied Sena MPs including the Union minister, Anant Geete not merely created a ruckus but gheraoed the civil aviation minister, Mr Ashok Gajapati Raju after he made it categorically clear that there would be “no preferential treatment” for the Sena MP.

The Shiv Sena had even threatened to boycott the NDA if the flying ban was not lifted against Gaikwad. Sensing that the civil aviation minister and the Centre were in no mood to budge, Gaikwad, who attended Parliament for the first time after the controversy was forced to dispatch the regret letter and pleaded with the minister to lift the ban.

“I write to convey my regrets for the unfortunate incident that too place on 23rd March 2017 in the Air India flight No. AI 852...”, he wrote and added, “It could have been no one’s intention to have let the situation aggravate to the level that it eventually did. While the ongoing investigation will bring out the factual sequence of events to fix responsibility, this incident may kindly not be seen as a reason for likely recurrence of such an event in future also.”

So far the civil aviation ministry has not come up with any official response to lift the ban and merely said that the ban was “still in force” and his letter was being “examined.”

It was a day, when the Shiv Sena MPs rallying around Gaikwad unleashed their fury on the ruling bench, particularly the civil aviation minister. Trinamul MP, Mr Kalyan Banerjee also came out in support of the Shiv Sena.

The Sena MPs gheraoed the civil aviation minister and refused to let him leave the House. It was at this juncture, when Mr Geete banged the civil aviation minister’s table. The minister remained calm as the frantic Sena members kept screaming and shouting at him. Home Minister, Mr Rajnath Singh intervened and assured that Mr Raju would speak to the “stakeholders to reach an amicable solution.”

Sena MP, Sanjay Raut while claiming that there was a “conspiracy” behind the ban said, “If separatists, rapists and terrorists are allowed to travel on flights then why not an MP.”

What Gaikwad said in Lok Sabha

• Madam Speaker, I thank you for allowing me to speak in the House regarding the injustice done with me
• I am here to speak about the bad treatment the airline staff meted out to me and its effort to paint the entire parliament wrong
• Madam Speaker you are like a mother to me. I fail to understand what wrong have I done. What is my fault that a media trial is going on against me without any probe being held?
• I had a business class ticket whereas I was made to occupy economy class. I did not fight for a seat.
• While disembarking I requested for a complaint book. An officer shouted at me and said, he is the “baap” of AI.
• I lost my cool. I replied, I am an MP. He said, but you are not Narendra Modi. He held me by my collar and tried to push me. At this, I lost my cool and I pushed him. Yes, I pushed him.
• The crew used unparliamentary language against Parliament and MPs. I will submit video clippings to prove the charge.
• While those who are wrong are free, I am being denied my constitutional right to fly not only by Air India but also by other airlines.
• Madam, I am booked under Section 308 of IPC, which is attempt to murder charge. It should be done away with as no probe is held.
• After the incident, there were reports that I tried to book ticket seven times. However, someone else tried to do it in my name.
• The mentality of those who threw Mahatma Gandhi out of the train, denied visa to Narendra Modi, and maligned me is the same.
• Uddhav Thackeray has asked me to apologise to the House. But not to the AI officer.