Passenger held under POCSO Act after actor alleges harassment on flight

The airline said it was carrying out “a detailed investigation”. (File/Photo)

THE MUMBAI Police Sunday registered a case under Section 354 of the IPC and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, and arrested a passenger late evening for allegedly molesting and misbehaving with a 17-year-old actor on board a Delhi-Mumbai Vistara flight Saturday.

Police said they picked up Vikas Sachdev (39), a corporate professional living in Kandivali, after analysing passenger records, along with the airline, to identify the accused.

While the police detained him in the evening, Sachdev was placed under arrest after the actor identified him.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Anil Kumbhare (Zone 8) said, “We brought him for interrogation in the evening, and after it (his identity) was confirmed, he was arrested.”

Sachdev will be produced in the sessions court Monday.

During interrogation, he reportedly told the police that whatever he did was “unintentional”. “The accused claimed he had been to a funeral in Delhi. He was very tired and asleep throughout the flight. The act was unintentional and was not done on purpose,” said a senior police officer.

Another senior officer, who did not wish to be named, said, “He has told us that he inadvertently touched the actor and had later apologised. We are, however, not buying his defence.”

Earlier in the day, the police had said while the person seated behind the actor on the plane appeared to be guilty of the charges brought against him, they were finding it difficult to identify him without CCTV cameras.

“We are verifying the claims of the victim. We are also checking the CCTV footage. We have formed a special team to trace the accused,” Assistant Commis-sioner of Police Sunil Shejwal (Airport division) had said. The airline said it was assisting the police in the investigation.

“We are deeply concerned and regret the unfortunate experience… We continue to give this case our highest attention and are extending our full support to all relevant authorities for the investigations underway. In addition, we have submitted an initial incident report to the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and have also submitted all necessary details to the Police. Members of our senior management have flown to Mumbai to…assist in the investigation process,” an official statement from the airline read.

On Saturday night, the 17-year old shared a post on social media, giving details of her experience on board flight UK981. She was travelling business class along with her mother to attend an award function in Mumbai. In her 12-part ‘story’, she shared images of the journey that included visuals of the sky from her window seat followed by text images of her experience with the passenger.

The post begins with a 5-second video footage where a male passenger’s foot rested on the left arm-rest of her seat is seen. She has named the video, “Managed to get this”. Through subsequent text images, she said, “The lights were dimmed, so it was even worse. It continued for another 5-10 minutes and then I was sure of it. He kept nudging my shoulder and continued to move his foot up and down my back and neck.”

The post added, “So, I was in a flight travelling from Delhi to Mumbai today and right behind me one middle-aged man who made my two-hour journey miserable. I tried to record it on phone to understand it better because the cabin lights were dimmed, I failed to get it. It was all chill till I felt somebody brushing against my back while I was half asleep. I ignored it the first time. Blamed the turbulence for it. Until it woke me up to this pleasant sight of his beautiful foot rubbing my back and neck.”

In the subsequent text image, she said: “Guess he couldn’t sit like a civilised human being and placed his foot on my armrest while he’s fully ‘phelaoed’ (spread) his body on his seat.”

She ended her post with: “Slow claps for Vistara’s wonderful crew guys.”

In a live selfie video taken by her later at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, the actor broke down: “I am disturbed. I just landed, the whole irony of this that I yelled… and this is not done… this is not how you should be treated or made to feel this is terrible. This is how they will take care of girls? No one will help us if we don’t decide to help ourselves and that is the worst thing.” The police recorded her statement at a Mumbai hotel Sunday.

Union Minister of State, Civil Aviation, Jayant Sinha, who was in Ranchi Sunday, said the actor should cooperate with Vistara so that the airline could put the passenger on a no-fly list if he was found guilty, agencies reported.

The airline said it was carrying out “a detailed investigation”. “We are talking to our crew…to understand the incident at greater length, and reaching out to fellow passengers as well,” said Sanjiv Kapoor, Chief Strategy & Commercial Officer, Vistara.

He added: “We will support her in every way required and also if she decides to report the matter to the police. It appears crew only became aware of something amiss during final descent when they were seated for landing. Further details will come from the investigation… We apologise for what she experienced and we have zero tolerance for such behaviour.”

However, the actor’s manager said she had expressed concerns over no action being taken by the airline against the passenger in spite of raising voice against it. “She approached the cabin crew but they didn’t react. We have written to Vistara and are hopeful the police will take due action against the erring passenger in this case. She has specifically expressed concerns against the bad behaviour of the male passenger towards her and no action being taken against him by the airline,” he told The Indian Express.

He said the actor had shouted at the passenger for his attempts to misbehave with her. “What has pained her the most is the fact that if something so terrible can happen to a passenger travelling in the business class of an airline, it is difficult to imagine the state of those travelling in economy class or even in trains. We would not be approaching any one else with the concern and hope rightful action is taken,” he added.

An airline official, who did not wish to be named, said, “The crew heard the actor’s scream just before the landing of the plane, but could not reach out to her then. Immediately after the plane landed, the crew reached out to her and her mother but unfortunately they had rushed out of the plane. The crew later got in touch with her mother for more details about the incident, and asked her if they wanted the accused to be detained. As the mother opted against it and moved out, the airline could not take any action against the erring passenger.”