AI pilot, co-pilot held on charges of molestation, get bail

A pilot and a co-pilot of Air India, who were accused of molestation and assault of an airhostess, were arrested and later released on bail this evening, police said.

Pilot Ranbir Arora and co-pilot Aditya Chopra were called for questioning this evening and later arrested in connection with the mid-air scuffle on the Sharjah-Delhi flight involving the airhostess and a flight purser.

"As the offence is bailable, they were released after registering their arrest and questioning," a senior police official said.

Airhostess Komal Singh had approached police on October three claiming that she was assaulted and molested by Arora and Chopra inside the cockpit during the journey to Delhi on the same day.

The arrests came 10 days after the registration of a case against them under IPC sections of voluntarily causing hurt (Sec 323), assault or use of criminal force to a woman to outrage her modesty (Sec 354), making gestures to insult the modesty of woman (509) and common intention (Sec 34).

The airhostess had also approached the National Commission for Women (NCW) seeking "justice".

The Commission, which constituted a five-member panel to look into the matter, today said it would come out with guidelines within a month on working conditions in airlines in the wake of complaints by some employees.