NEW DELHI: Air India Express on Friday grounded a senior pilot after he allegedly assaulted a passenger in Delhi airport’s T1 in front of his family because he was allowed to use a security screening area where flight crew and other personnel are said to have priority.Passenger Ankit Dewan accused Captain Virender Sejwal, who was on his way to Bengaluru with IndiGo to join the service, of leaving him with a bloody face when he called him for allegedly “cutting the queue”. He said the pilot replied that the lane was for staff and asked him if he was “anpadh” (illiterate), which initially sparked a verbal argument.According to sources, Sejwal, who appears in pictures posted by Dewan on his Security personnel intervened and the pilot flew to Bengaluru but was barred from operating the flight he was supposed to fly from there. AI Express later issued a statement saying that Sejwal had been placed under house arrest pending an investigation.Dewan, who in his biography onThe passenger said airport staff took him and his family through security “because we had a four-month-old baby in a stroller.” Dewan wrote that he “had to seek medical attention” when he reached his destination and that his “seven-year-old daughter, who saw her father brutally attacked, remains traumatized and frightened.”“I have no idea how DGCA and Air India Express can allow such pilots to fly. If they cannot keep a cool head in a scuffle, can they be trusted with the lives of hundreds of people in the air? How can Delhi airport get away with such mismanagement that the combination of staff entrances and passengers carrying small children creates chaos in a sensitive security area? I thought airports were safe places,” he said.Dewan claimed he was forced to write a letter stating he would not pursue the case. “Either I write this letter or miss my flight and throw the 1.2 lakh holiday bookings down the drain. Delhi Police, why can’t I lodge a complaint after I return? Will the CCTV footage disappear in the two days until I return to Delhi?” he said.An AI Express spokesperson said the airline “remains committed to ensuring that its employees act responsibly at all times.”“We are aware of an incident involving one of our employees who was traveling as a passenger on another airline. We strongly condemn such behavior. Based on the results of the investigation, appropriate disciplinary action will be taken.”
