Banned by All Domestic Airlines, MP Diwakar Reddy Says ‘Sorry’

Rejecting the allegation, Diwakar Reddy said, “I did not assault any official, just asked the employee to come out.”

TDP MP Diwakar Reddy. (Photo: ANI)

Telugu Desam Party MP JC Diwakar Reddy has been banned by all domestic airlines following his alleged unruly behaviour at the Visakhapatnam airport as he was denied boarding for an IndiGo flight.

When asked to comment on the incident, the MP responded with an apology.

Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju has ordered an inquiry into the incident and has said that he “will ensure lawful outcomes follow.”

IndiGo finally accommodated the TDP leader but later decided to ban him from taking its flights.

As per aviation regulator DGCA norms, airlines close the check-in counters for all domestic fights 45 minutes prior to departure.

In an official statement, IndiGo said:

TDP MP JC Diwakar Reddy raged against staff using aggressive and abusive behaviour. We will take necessary action to address the violation.

Reddy, who represents Andhra Pradesh's Anantapur seat in the Lok Sabha, reported late for IndiGo’s flight 6E-608, which was scheduled to depart from 8:10 am, and therefore, was not allowed to board it, a source said.

Video footage of the incident shows Diwakar arguing with IndiGo staffers and threatening to throw a printer. In a second video, he is seen to be pushing an employee.

Denying the accusation, Diwakar said:

I did not assault any official, I just asked him (the IndiGo employee) to come out.

An airline source said:

On being informed by the airline staff that he was late and cannot be issued a boarding pass, an enraged Reddy went to the IndiGo office next to the check-in counter and created a ruckus.

When contacted, IndiGo said it has initiated a probe into the incident, but refused to elaborate on the issue.

This is not the first time that Diwakar created a ruckus in an airport. In 2016, he had allegedly damaged furniture at the Air India office at Gannavaram Airport in Vijayawada after missing his flight for similar reasons.

Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Ashok Gajapathi Raju, who is also affiliated to the TDP, backed Reddy in the matter, NDTV reported. He reportedly said that Reddy was on time but the flight may have been overbooked.

Earlier this year, Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad was temporarily banned by airlines from flying after he assaulted an Air India staffer.

In May, the Centre released draft rules for a national no-fly list of unruly passengers for all domestic carriers, proposing a ban on flying from three months up to an indefinite period.

The government is likely to release the no-fly list rules by 20 June.

(With inputs from PTI)