Mumbai: Flier detained for ‘calling crew stupid’, he says privacy breached

Mumbaibased author Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi underwent a fourhour detention at the Mumbai Airport police station over allegations by Akasa airline crew members They accused him of labelling them ldquostupid peoplerdquo Shanghvi contested this deeming it a breach of his privacy as the crew claimed to have overheard his remarks in the lavatory Amid the incident Shanghvi counteracted by filing a complaint against the staff citing sexual harassmentIt all stemmed from a disagreement over lavatory use on Akasa flight QP 1395 from North Goa to Mumbai about half an hour before landing A flight attendant instructed Shanghvi to wait and later reported the issue to the police alleging Shanghvi had called the staff ldquostupid peoplerdquoSiddharth Shanghvi Mumbaibased author PicTwitterTalking to midday Shanghvi said ldquoI was directed to stay seated when I requested to use the restroom After consulting the captain I was permitted Upon exiting the restroom a female crew member confronted me claiming Irsquod referred to them as lsquostupid peoplersquo in the toilet How could she have heard that It felt invasive as if she had been eavesdropping This isnrsquot just about privacy it feels like sexual harassment Akasa must address their staffrsquos behaviour fairlyrdquoShanghvi added ldquoThe airport detention disrupted my schedule leading to cancelled meetings and legal engagement Both the crew and Akasa Airlines owe me an explanation Is this the treatment for a passenger with no fault Is it their policy to monitor passengers in restrooms Will male staff similarly monitor female passengersrdquoIn his complaint letter Shanghvi stated ldquoThe flight attendant Komal asked me in a very demeaning manner to return to my seat and stated that I couldnrsquot use the flightrsquos washroom Subsequently I approached another flight attendant who promptly sought permission from Captain Ishaan Modi which was granted However as the washroom was locked I had to seek assistance from another flight attendant to unlock it with prior permission from the captain Upon exiting the washroom I was repeatedly interrogated by Komal accusing me of saying lsquostupid peoplersquo in the washroom This conduct shocked and surprised me leading me to believe that Komal might have peeked into the washroom while I was using it invading my privacy and bordering on sexual harassment I merely expressed my wish not to speak to her and returned to my seat However after a few minutes Komal again approached my seat verbally accosted and humiliated me in front of my fellow passengers I possess a video recording of Komal targeting and humiliating me without cause in front of the entire flight I am willing to provide this footage as evidencerdquoSiddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi said he was in the lavatory of the aircraft and the crew overhead him talking Representation picThe letter further recounted the postlanding events ldquoDespite feeling medically unwell and faint I was prohibited from leaving the flight Komal threatened to file a complaint against me to teach me a lesson Consequently against my wishes I was detained and not allowed to exit the airplane I was appalled by the flight attendantrsquos misconduct I was directly escorted to the Airport Police Station to file a case against me despite my lack of fault Despite my requests to the crew to let me go due to feeling unwell and uneasy they remained rude and adamant As I was physically unfit to advocate for myself I had to call my lawyers to represent merdquoShanghvi insisted on an investigation by Akasa Air and DGCA into how the crew overheard his supposedly private remarks emphasising the seriousness of his allegations and the need for impartial scrutiny Despite requesting an FIR against the staff Sanghvirsquos complaint letter has been accepted by the policeRegarding the police response Bhagwat Garande senior inspector said ldquoWersquove heard both sides and it seems trivial Wersquove taken an NC from Akasa Air staff and accepted Sanghvirsquos complaint letter Wersquoll investigate further based on his allegationsrdquoDisputing the credibility of Akasa employees Shanghvi demanded passenger statements as an unbiased account of the incident Responding over the drama that unfolded onboard their flight QP 1395 Akasa Airrsquos official spokesperson said ldquoWe can only respond in the matter after an internal investigation All such incidents are investigated internally The internal investigation is in process currentlyrdquo04No of hours Shanghvi was detained