Kangna Ranaut at Chandigarh airport on Wednesday. (Express photo by Jasbir Malhi)The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Saturday warned airlines that it would suspend a scheduled flight for two weeks if anyone onboard was found engaging in photography. The aviation regulator’s statement comes three days after media personnel violated social distancing norms in an attempt to capture Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut on an IndiGo flight from Chandigarh to Mumbai.
“It has been decided that from now on, in case any violation (photography) occurs on any scheduled passenger aircraft – the schedule of flight for that particular route shall be suspended for a period of two weeks from the next day (of the incident),” the DGCA said in a statement Saturday.
— DGCA (@DGCAIndia) September 12, 2020
The DGCA has asked IndiGo to take “appropriate action” on the incident.
“We have seen some videos wherein mediapersons are standing too close to each other in the 6E264 flight on Wednesday. It seems to be a violation of safety and social distancing protocols. We have asked IndiGo to submit a report on this incident,” a DGCA official told news agency PTI.
In a statement, IndiGo responded saying, “We have given our statement to the DGCA regarding the matter pertaining to flight 6E 264 from Chandigarh to Mumbai, on September 9, 2020.
“We would like to reiterate that our cabin crew, as well as the captain, followed all the requisite protocols, including announcements to restrict photography, follow social distancing and maintain overall safety,” the airline added.
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IndiGo said it also followed the requisite protocol of documenting the matter in its post-flight report. “We are committed to providing a safe, hassle-free experience to our passengers,” the company said.
Kangana Ranaut and Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut have been involved in a war of words after the actress compared “Mumbai to Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK)” and said she “feared Mumbai Police more than the movie mafia”.
The 33-year-old actress has been criticising the Maharashtra government on Twitter since she returned to the city from her home state Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday, soon after civic authorities demolished portions of her office.
On Thursday, Ranaut took on the Maharashtra government by castigating Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray for “misusing power”, and declared that her voice wouldn’t be suppressed.
The ‘Queen’ actor, who has been given Y-plus category securityby the central government, posted a series of tweets comparing the BMC to goons, terming the state government a “milavat sarkar” and recalling Marathi culture and pride.
Raut on Sunday demanded that actress Kangana Ranaut apologise for her comments against Mumbai and Maharashtra. The Rajya Sabha member on Friday urged the Maharashtra government to take against people defaming the city police.
He had also asked Ranaut to tour the PoK first to see the situation prevailing there.
Meanwhile, the ruling Shiv Sena government also criticised the Centre’s decision to provide Y-plus security to the actor and alleged there was a conspiracy “to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra” by defaming and damaging Mumbai and weakening its economy.
In an editorial in the party mouthpiece Saamana, it urged the state to unite against those using “disrespectful” language about the Maharashtra chief minister. “While Maharashtra is angry (about this), the BJP has directly supported people who have insulted Mumbai and Maharashtra’s CM,” the editorial stated.
It also said comparing Mumbai to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and insulting the Mumbai Police by calling it mafia are signs of a “disturbed” mindset.
“But when the nationalist (Narendra) Modi government’s home ministry provides security cover to such people, then our 106 martyrs (who had died in the movement of Samyukta Maharashtra with Mumbai) must be shedding tears in heaven,” the editorial stated.