AI staffer assault: Law should take its course, says Congress

Expressing the opinion that Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad should have filed a complaint instead of hitting the national carrier Air India staffer, the Congress on Friday said the law should take its course.

Slamming the MP's 'unfortunate' act, Congress spokesperson Charan Singh Sapra said the power has gone into the heads of the Shiv Sena MPs.

"If somebody from the Air India misbehaved, he (Gaikwad) had a proper platform to express his complaint. It's not right if he beats him, he hits with slipper, breaks his spectacles. The MP should be arrested and law should take its due course," Sapra told ANI.

Echoing similar view, Congress leader Pramod Tiwari said such a thing coming from an MP was not expected, adding that he should have not taken law in his hands.

"The kind of statement that he has made that he did not use slipper, but his sandal and 25 times, it is unfortunate. I don't expect such a thing coming from an MP. The law should take its course," Tiwari told ANI.

Similarly, Congress leader P.L. Punia dubbed the incident as 'illegitimate' and called for an investigation into the matter.

"Shiv Sena MP Gaikwad hitting an Air India staffer with slipper is very unfortunate. It is inappropriate if he was misbehaved with. Even the lawmakers themselves do not have the right to take law in their hands.What he did was illegitimate," he told ANI.

Yesterday, Gaikwad, wrote a letter to Civil Aviation Minsiter Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, while listing out the problems faced by him in the flight.

Gaikwad in his letter said that he was misled by the Air India and stated that he was given business class ticket, but later he came to know that there was no business class section in the flight.

Listing his problems, the Shiv Sena MP asked the Aviation Minsiter and the Speaker to probe the matter and to find the reason behind these issues highlighted by him.

Meanwhile, Air India registered two FIRs against Gaikwad for hitting an Air India staffer with his slipper over sitting issue and for forcibly holding the flight and delaying it for 40 minutes.