Air India urination row: Woman compensated, say Shankar Mishra's lawyers
The lawyers of the accused Shankar Mishra—booked for urinating on an elderly co-passenger in the business class of an Air India flight from New York to Delhi in November—claimed on Friday that both parties had already reached a settlement. They stressed that the woman's grievance was only with the airline for adequate compensation, in which regard she raised a complaint on December 20.
Why does this story matter?
- The shocking incident occurred on November 26, but an FIR in the matter was filed on January 4—nearly 40 days after the incident—only after the woman wrote to N Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Sons, which owns Air India.
- The airline claimed a complaint wasn't filed in the matter as the woman rescinded her initial request for the accused's arrest after reaching a settlement.
Chats show accused paid for getting woman's stuff cleaned
Mishra's lawyers said WhatsApp chats between him and the woman show that the accused paid for the dry cleaning of her soiled bag and clothes. The chats reportedly revealed that the offender got the woman's stuff sent for cleaning on November 28. He further paid her for the cleaning services via Paytm and the possessions were delivered back to the woman on November 30.
Woman's daughter returned compensation in December
The accused's lawyers said that compensation was paid to the woman as per their settlement. However, her daughter returned the money on December 19. They claimed that the statements recorded by the cabin crew before the inquiry committee were hearsay and showed there was no witness to the incident. Moreover, the crew members' statements reportedly corroborate the claims of settlement between both parties.
Crew forced woman to face accused, negotiate with him
The aggrieved woman's letter to Chandrasekaran said the cabin crew forced her to face the accused as he begged to be spared, claiming he was a "family man." The crew brought him to her, and they were made to sit opposite each other in crew seats. She said the accused apologized profusely while crying, making it difficult for her to insist on his arrest.
Crew members summoned, including pilots
The woman further stated she was given a narrow crew seat after the incident; an hour later, she was asked to return to her soiled seat. However, two hours later, she was given another crew seat for the remaining flight. She alleged the pilot vetoed giving her vacant first-class seats. Meanwhile, the Delhi Police has summoned around six to eight crew members, including pilots.
Accused absconding, airport alert issued
The police are currently on the lookout for the accused, identified as Shankar Mishra of a Mumbai, who is absconding. He was earlier banned from flying with Air India for 30 days, and an airport alert was issued for him, too.
