Harassment charge against AirAsia crew

A woman who travelled by an AirAsia India flight has alleged that she was sexually harassed by three crew members, days after the airline filed a complaint with the police and DGCA against her for being a "disruptive passenger".

AirAsia India has denied the charge and said it dealt with the incident as per laid down procedure. The woman in an FIR with the police alleged that a flight steward made "unwelcome physical advances" onboard and spoke rudely to her after she complained about an unclean washroom in the plane while travelling from Ranchi to Bengaluru via Hyderabad on November 3.

AirAsia India, however, said in a statement that the passenger verbally abused a senior cabin crew after she

was asked to switch off her mobile phone and filed a complaint with the Airport Police against her when the plane landed in Bengaluru as well as informed the DGCA as per "standard operating procedures followed for disruptive passengers".

"He was trying to be touchy while there was no one around near the washroom. I found that awkward but did not say much as I was not sure about his behaviour," she said in the FIR. She claimed that the crew insulted her verbally while serving her coffee and told her to switch off her phone rudely. The police have registered a case under IPC sections related to wrongful restraint, assault or use criminal force on woman to outrage her modesty and other charges on the basis of the passenger's complaint.