Women’s panel yet to get details sought from airline

The NCW has sought an explanation from the airline for not heeding to the complaint of the girl immediately after the incident. It has also asked why the accused was not handed over to the concerned authorities even after the victim raised an alarm during the journey.

“We are yet to receive details of the incident. As directed by the airline, we had sent an official mail to the airline on Sunday morning, asking for the requirements. Officials then asked us to mark the mail to the ethics committee of the airline,” Rekha Singh, the Chairperson, NCW said.

“After having mailed to the ethics committee, we received a reply from the airline Monday morning claiming they would want us to draft another mail to senior officials of the airline. While the timeline given to them to submit the details is over, we will wait till Tuesday to get the details,” Singh added.

“We will wait till Tuesday, else summon the airline to our office. We also await the completion of investigation by the
police. We will take the matter till the Ministry of Civil Aviation if any lapse on the part of the airline is noticed,” Singh added.

“We will be sharing all information sought by the National Commission for Women within the deadline. As the case is under investigation, we will not be able to divulge any further information at this point in time. We view this incident in all its seriousness and will continue to offer full support to (the minor actor) and to the relevant authorities to ensure justice,” a spokesperson from the Vistara airline said.

Taking suo motu cognisance of the case, the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) had also asked for details
from the airline about the incident.

The DCW further demanded a list of action taken by the airline in the case, whether CCTVs were installed in the flight, and details of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) followed by the airline in dealing with sexual harassment on flight.

They have also asked for details of cases of molestation on Vistara flights in the past one year. The airline has been given time till December 18 to submit the details to the DCW.