AI molestation case: clean chit to 2 pilots

An Air India probe panel today gave a clean chit to two pilots who were charged with sexual harassment by an airhostess in the wake of a mid-air scuffle between them during a flight from Sharjah earlier this month.

An Air India probe panel on Friday gave a clean chit to two pilots who were charged with sexual harassment by an airhostess in the wake of a mid-air scuffle between them during a flight from Sharjah earlier this month.

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A senior Air India official said the five-member enquiry committee, which went into her complaint about the incident on board a Sharjah-Lucknow-Delhi flight IC-884 on October three, has concluded that whatever complaint airhostess Komal Singh has made regarding sexual harassment "is an after-thought".

The committee was set up on October six to investigate the mid-air scuffle between co-pilot Aditya Chopra and flight
purser Amit Khanna, during which Komal Singh was reportedly pushed by Commander Ranbir Arora and Chopra.

Air India had then suspended Khanna and Chopra, pending enquiry. Komal and the Commander of the flight, Capt Ranbir Arora, were taken off duty to assist in the probe.

The enquiry committee chargesheeted Komal for allegedly violating conduct rules, not complying with the company policy and speaking to the media, insubordination and disobeying seniors. Komal has levelled molestation charges against two pilots of the airlines.

Air India GM (Personnel) Deepa Mahajan said actually it was not determined as sexual harassment behaviour in the
cockpit.