Indian police said on Friday they were launching an investigation into a Hindu-nationalist lawmaker a day after he acknowledged hitting an Air India official 25 times with his sandals in a row over a business class seat.
The state carrier and other airlines said they would bar Ravindra Gaikwad from flying after the fracas which has triggered a debate on the behavior of members of the political elite, and calls for a no-fly list for unruly passengers.
Gaikwad, from the Shiv Sena party, allies of India’s ruling BJP, did not apologize for Thursday’s confrontation and told reporters he had been badly treated, reports Reuters.
“I hit him 25 times with my sandals … I hit an Air India employee … Let them complain,” he said in a video clip published by the Hindustan Times.
“I won’t apologize. It’s their fault … For what? When I have not made any mistake, why should I repent?,” Gaikwad told NDTV.
He said his office had booked a business class seat for him on a Pune-Delhi flight, and he was angry when he failed to get one.
He refused to leave his seat in protest after the plane landed and said he hit an Air India official who came on board to try and persuade him to move.
Air India said that service did not have any business class seats and Gaikwad’s refusal to leave had delayed other flights.
Delhi Police said they had registered a preliminary case against Gaikwad on Friday.
“We are transferring the case to our Crime Branch for a thorough investigation,” special commissioner Dependra Pathak told reporters.
