Video Showing Argument on Indigo Flight Viral With False Communal Claim

As per reports and local police, the assaulter was identified as Hafijul Rahman, and it was not a communal matter.

A video showing a man wearing a skull cap being slapped by a fellow passenger on an Indigo flight has gone viral on social media.

The claim: Those sharing the video gave his incident a communal spin by noting that a Hindu passenger slapped a fellow Muslim passenger on an IndiGo flight.

(Archives of similar claims can be found here and here.)

Is the claim true?: No, the claim is false.

• The individual who struck the passenger was identified as Hafijul Rahaman, a Muslim man who has been added to IndiGo's no-fly list.

• The event took place amid a panic attack experienced by the aggrieved Hossain Ahmed Majumdar.

What we found: We ran a relevant keyword search on Google and found reports about this incident.

• As per NDTV and the Hindustan Times, the individual who struck aggrieved Majumdar was also Muslim man named Hafijul Rahaman.

• These reports indicated that Majumdar, a hotel employee from Assam, was struck by Rahaman during an IndiGo flight traveling from Mumbai to Silchar via Kolkata after experiencing a panic attack.

• Majumdar told the press when he felt uneasy, he sat next to a co-passenger and asked his name who said that it was 'Hafijul Rahaman.'

• He gave his 'salam' to Rahaman as both belonged to the same religion.

• Majumdar stated he felt noticeably frightened and trembled when Rahaman unexpectedly struck him several times.

• The flight attendants stepped in, provided him with water, and later both were brought to a police station in Kolkata.

Police comments: Taking to their official X page, the Bidhannagar Police noted that Rahaman slapped Majumdar on the flight.

• It also said that Rahaman was declared unruly by the airline and handed over to the police.

• There was no mention of a communal matter in the incident by the police.

• IndiGo airlines declared the assaulter unruly and suspended him for flying on their flights.

At IndiGo, the safety and well-being of our customers and crew remain our foremost priority.

Following due diligence, the incident involving an unruly customer has been formally reported to the relevant authorities for necessary action. In line with our commitment to discourage… https://t.co/38Wv5Rd6fd

— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) August 2, 2025

• The Times of India stated that the ban is for thirty days while an investigation is conducted, after which a subsequent decision based on the no-fly list regulations for disruptive passengers will be made.

Additionally, none of the news reports mentioned anything about a communal spin in this incident.

Conclusion: A false communal claim has been attached to the incident where Majumdar was slapped by Rahaman, on an IndiGo flight.

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