Clean chit to pilots in mid air scuffle
New Delhi | Friday, Oct 30 2009 IST
 

The Air India today gave a clean chit to two pilots accused of sexual harassment by an air hostess during a mid-air scuffle on an Air India flight bound to Sharjah-Lucknow-Delhi earlier this month.

Ms Deepa Mahajan, General Manager (Personnel), Air India said preliminary enquiry into the altercation on board flight IC 884, had concluded that the complaint of Komal Singh, Air hostess, was not ''substantiated''. ''The five-member probe committee was of the opinion that 'the allegations of sexually coloured behaviour on the part of Capt Ranbir Arora were baseless and appeared to be made by Komal as an afterthought, a planned and rehearsed strategy','' she said.

The committee had also chargesheeted Komal for '' allegedly violating conduct rules, not complying with the company policy and speaking to the media, insubordination and disobeying seniors.'' The probe was set up on October 6, to investigate the mid-air scuffle case between co-pilot Aditya Chopra and flight purser Amit Khanna, in which which Komal was reportedly assaulted by Commander Ranbir Arora and Chopra. Komal also filed a molestation case against the two pilots of the airlines in this regard in a police station. Air India had then suspended Khanna and Chopra, pending enquiry. Komal and the Commander of the flight, Capt Ranbir Arora, were also grounded to assist in the probe. Justifying the fairness of the decision, she said,'' Air India has an appropriate complaints redressal mechanism in place, to look into all complaints of sexual harassment, as per the guidelines of the Supreme Court.'' Referring to the other case of Simrath Chopra, Air hostess, in Air Indias subsidiary Alliance Air in which she had accused Capt Devi Sharan, her boss, Ms Mahajan said,'' Ms Simrath Chopra has referred to something dating back to 1996-97 against Capt Sharan in her letter, which has not been elaborated, and also does not fall under the purview of 'sexual harassment'.''

-- (UNI) -- 30DI71.xml

 

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