Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan has written to the management of Indigo Airlines complaining that the report submitted by the airport manager of the airlines to the local police station on the protest raised by two Youth Congress activists against the Chief Minister inside an aircraft in Thiruvananthapuram is “fake, frivolous and conspicuous”.
In his letter to Indigo Associate Vice President Varun Dwivedi, Mr. Satheesan said that the report given by the airport manager of Indigo Airlines was in stark contrast to the statements given by passengers on the aircraft as well as Left Democratic Front convener E.P. Jayarajan, who was accompanying the Chief Minister at the time and was a witness to the incident.
Mr. Satheesan pointed out that Mr. Jayarajan had said during an interview given to a leading news channel that the protesters had raised slogans against the Chief Minister after he had alighted the aircraft. In addition, Communist Party of India (Marxist) State secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan had categorically stated that the said incident took place after the Chief Minister had de-boarded the aircraft. Yet, the report given by the Indigo airport manager ”is learned to have alleged that the protesters attacked the Chief Minister,” the letter written by Mr. Satheesan said.
Name not mentioned
Later, talking to the media here, the Leader of the Opposition said that it was “mysterious” that the report by the Indigo airport manager pointedly failed to mention the name of Mr. Jayarajan, who was with the Chief Minister and who “brutally manhandled the protesters”, clear video footage of which was shown on all television channels. The report, however, stated that a “man accompanying the Chief Minister “ pushed the protesters away. Mr. Jayarajan was a well known figure in the State and the fact that his name had been deliberately left out of the report raised serious doubts on the probity of the officer, who hailed from Kannur and had clear party affiliations, Mr. Satheesan said.
Political pressure
He said that the manager would have come under political pressure and influence from higher police officers, CPI(M) leaders and the Chief Minister’s Office.
He said that he had written to the Indigo Airlines management that a fair inquiry be conducted into the incident and that a truthful report be given to the investigation agencies and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). He has sought action against the airport manager of Indigo for lodging a “false report” on the incident involving Youth Congress activists.
He accused Mr. Jayarajan of wilfully assaulting the demonstrators. Mr. Jayarajan brushed aside the accusation and said he had saved the Chief Minister from being attacked by the protesters.
Meanwhile, the police inspected the aircraft based on a complaint filed by Mr. Vijayan’s personal security officer and prepared a first information report. They also viewed onboard surveillance camera footage and interviewed the cabin crew.
Congress MP Hibi Eden is set to lodge a formal complaint with the Union Minister for Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday about the alleged assault of two Congress activists by Left Democratic Front convener E.P. Jayarajan aboard an Indigo Airline flight earlier this week.
“A copy of the petition will be forwarded to Indigo Airlines and the Director General of Civil Aviation. It was Mr. Jayarajan who acted violently while the Congress activists had merely raised slogans. If anything, he should be slapped with a ban on flying,” said Mr. Eden.
