In a shocking incident, a passenger allegedly clicked obscene photos of a female cabin crew and a co-passenger on a Delhi-Mumbai Spicejet flight. The incident took place on Wednesday, August 16.
Taking cognisance of the matter, the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) issued notices to the Delhi Police, IGI Airport and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) over the incident. The passenger allegedly attempted to click obscene pictures of a female cabin crew member and a co-passenger.
“It is alleged in the viral video that a passenger was trying to click obscene pictures of a woman flight attendant and his woman co-passenger. It has been stated that when his mobile phone was checked, objectionable pictures of the women onboard the plane were found in his mobile," a statement by the panel said.
The panel has asked DGCA for details of action taken against the accused and whether the incident was reported to the Internal Complaint Committee under the Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act, or any other committee.
The DCW has further asked Delhi Police for a copy of the FIR registered in the case and details of the arrested accused.
The commission has asked the Delhi Police and the DGCA to provide reports of action taken in the case latest by August 23.
The airline said in a statement that the passenger deleted the pictures and gave a written apology for the incident.
“A passenger seated in the first row of SpiceJet flight SG157 operating from Delhi to Mumbai on August 2 was found clicking pictures of the cabin crew, while she was seated on the jump seat at the time of take-off," a SpiceJet spokesperson said.
“The passenger was confronted by the crew members. He deleted the pictures from his phone and apologised for his action. The passenger also gave a written apology," the spokesperson added.
DCW Chairperson Swati Maliwal termed the incident “unacceptable" and asserted that the “DGCA must have a zero-tolerance policy against sexual harassment on flights".
“Complaints of sexual harassment on flights are on the rise. This is unacceptable. In this particular case, an FIR should be registered and the matter should be thoroughly investigated and the guilty must be punished. DGCA must have a zero-tolerance policy against sexual harassment on flights and take stringent action to prevent such incidents in the future," Maliwal said.