Pilot Reacts After Assault On Passenger Triggers Row, Alleges Casteist Slurs, Family Threats

Following an altercation at Delhi airport involving an ex-Air India Express flight crew member and a traveller over a scuffle, the pilot at the centre of the controversy has finally broken the silence on the incident. Legal representatives have released a formal clarification on behalf of Captain Virender Sejwal.

According to the statement issued on behalf of the airline, cited by NDTV, the issue of ‘personal incident’ has been misrepresented as a ‘pilot vs passenger’ dispute. "Captain Virender Sejwal was travelling as a passenger. He was not on flight duty, nor was the incident connected in any manner to his professional responsibilities. It was a purely personal matter between two passengers," it says.

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The statement further criticised the social media outrage on the entire incident, which has been completely ‘biased’, ‘one-sided’ and an ‘incomplete misrepresentation of facts.’ The statement further alleges that Mr Ankit Dewan has cherry-picked details to construct a misleading storyline, falsely suggesting a workplace dispute and seeking to sensationalise a matter that has already been resolved. 

It also claims that derogatory remarks targeting Captain Sejwal’s caste were made, along with alarming threats directed at female members of his family, including a minor.

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No Connection With Airline

The pilot has also slammed attempts to associate Air India Express with the incident. The statement emphasises that the incident was entirely personal in nature and unrelated to Captain Sejwal’s professional employment. It notes that linking the matter to the airline is unjustified and appears intended solely to garner social media attention to an issue that has otherwise been resolved.

"Capt Sejwal has full faith in the authorities that he will not be denied justice and the incident will be looked at impartially, considering all facts and without the overbearing social media narrative. Capt. Sejwal requests that the media and public rely only on verified facts and refrain from circulating one-sided or misleading content that may harm reputations or distort true facts," it adds.

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What Happened At Delhi Airport?

The controversy started after Ankit Dewan, a passenger, had earlier alleged that Captain Virender Sejwal, a pilot of the Air India Express of physically assaulted him after he objected to the pilot for cutting the boarding queue at Terminal 1 of Delhi Airport.

The incident came to light after the passenger posted a photo on X (formerly twiwith blood on his face. In his post, Dewan added that his seven-year-old daughter saw the assault and remains traumatised since then.

Dewan and his family were to board their flight, and as they were travelling with their four-month-old daughter, who was in a stroller, they were directed to use the staff security check-in line.