Unruly MP banned from Indian airlines

NEW DELHI: An Indian lawmaker who beat an airline employee with a sandal after he was unable to get a business class seat was banned by major Indian airlines.

Ravindra Gaikwad boasted to reporters on Thursday that he hit a staffer on Air India “25 times with my sandal” for arrogance. Gaikwad, whose Shiv Sena party is a partner of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, was told in advance that he couldn’t fly business class because it was an all-econ- omy flight. The Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) said Gaikwad was banned from its flights with“immediate effect.”

Air India filed a police complaint and cancelled the MP’s return flight.

“We believe that an assault on any one of our employees is an assault on us all and on law- abiding citizens of our country,” FIA stated. An unrepentant Gaikwad accused Air India of poor service and demanded an apology from the staffer he assaulted. – dpa