‘I'm in trouble’: Shankar Mishra told male co-passenger after urinating incident

Shankar Mishra, the man who allegedly urinated on a woman co passenger aboard an Air India flight, had told another co passenger that he “might be in trouble” soon after committing the obscene crime. According to a Times of India report, US-based audiology doctor Sugata Bhattacharjee was seated next to Shankar on the Air India flight from New York to Delhi on November 26. Sugata told ToI that Shankar was an “unruly drunk passenger”.

According to Sugata, Shankar had consumed at least four glasses of single malt whisky during lunchtime. “He must have had more before and after,” Sugata had said. Further, the doctor had also informed one of the crew members that Shankar was intoxicated and asked them to cut his alcohol supply.

Stating that he was asleep while Shankar had committed the crime, Sugata recalls the events that followed. The crew had reportedly coaxed the distraught and shocked woman to talk to Shankar. “Mishra fell asleep after a while. After he woke up he told me ‘Bro, I think I am in trouble’,” Sugata recollected.

In November last year, Shankar was aboard an Air India flight from New York to New Delhi. After consuming alcohol, he had walked towards an elderly woman seated in a row ahead of him and urinated on her, soiling her clothes, shoes, and bag containing documents including her passport. The woman later filed a police complaint and Shankar was booked by the Delhi police under Sections 294 (obscene act in any public place), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and 510 (misconduct in public by a drunken person) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

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On Friday, the company Shankar worked for — Wells Fargo — terminated him. Also, Air India imposed a 30-day travel ban on him and started an internal inquiry committee to look into the alleged lapses by the crew members. The complainant alleged that the cabin crew were not sensitive towards her and declined her request to be given another seat, although seats were available in first class.

On Saturday morning, Shankar was arrested from Bengaluru by the Delhi police. Two teams of police were on the lookout for him after he went absconding.

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