PremiumAir India's urination case has got a new twist. The father of the accused has come forward, defending his son, and said 'it was possibly a blackmailing case'. Shyam Mishra, father of Shankar Mishra said, "She (victim) had demanded payment and it was made. Don't know what happened next. Must have demanded something that perhaps wasn't met that upset her. Perhaps there was blackmailing, there must be something".
He said his son slept on the flight and was questioned by the Air India staff after he woke up.
"False case. My son hadn't slept for 30-35 hrs. After dinner, he might've consumed the drink given by the crew and then slept. From what I understand, he was questioned by airline staff after he woke up," he said.
Shyam Mishra claimed that his son could not have committed such an offence.
"I don't think he would do it. She (the victim) is a 72-year-old woman, she is like his mother. He (the accused, his son) is a 34-year-old man. How can he do it? He is married and has an 18-year-old daughter," he said.
Asked about his son's whereabouts, Shyam Mishra said he is not aware.
"We are also trying to talk to him. I don't know (where he is)... I just want facts should be told, what is being presented is away from the truth," he said.
Yesterday, the accused's lawyer claimed he paid ₹15,000 as compensation to the victim and got her belongings cleaned.
In one of the Whatsapp messages purportedly exchanged between them on November 27, the woman shared her number with Mishra and acknowledged receipt of ₹5,000. She, however, added her daughter and son-in-law were very upset about the incident. She told Mishra that she persuaded them not to complain as he was very apologetic and quite unaware of the incident.
The woman wrote in the series of WhatsApp messages that she hoped Mishra will mend his ways and keep his word.
Mishra responded by thanking her and promising he will never repeat such an act.
The woman, while appearing to forgive Mishra, said she was unhappy with the Air India staff.
A day later, in another message, he informed her about her clothes and shoes having been sent for cleaning and that they will be "refurbished" in a day or two. He also wrote about having sent her another ₹10,000.
In one of the messages sent to 'Air Hostess Madam' there is a screenshot of the transactions of ₹10,000 and ₹5,000 and a note which says the payments were made as requested by the woman.
The airline had on Wednesday said it has imposed a 30-day flying ban on the accused passenger and set up an internal panel to probe whether there were lapses on part of the crew in addressing the situation.
Based on the woman passenger's complaint, a case was registered under sections 294 (obscene act in a 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 as well as under the Aircraft Rules.