Cachar Man Reaches Home After Mid-Air Slap Incident; Family Blames IndiGo for Negligence
Hasnul aka Hasan Ahmed Mazumder, who had gone missing after being slapped by a co-passenger on an IndiGo flight from Mumbai to Silchar via Kolkata, finally reached his home in Lathimara village of Katigorah, Cachar on Sunday morning (August 3). His family has alleged negligence on the part of IndiGo, claiming the airline failed to inform them about his whereabouts after handing him over to CISF and West Bengal Police.
Speaking to the media upon his return, Hasnul recounted the ordeal, saying, “I boarded the flight at 2 AM the day before yesterday. I was very scared and my body was shivering from fear, so I sat next to him (the accused who slapped me). I asked his name, he said Hafiz Uddin (Hafizur Rahman), so I understood that he is Muslim and gave my salam kalam. When he saw that I was very nervous, I don’t know why he lost his cool and slapped me 3–4 times. Then madam (cabin crew) became very mad at him and asked him why he slapped me. They even offered me water and tried to calm me down.”
Hasnul clarified that he did not misbehave with the accused. After deboarding in Kolkata, he was taken to the Bidhannagar Police Station along with the accused for questioning and later shifted to a hospital for a check-up. “In between all these, I missed my flight to Silchar and helplessly I started walking to find a train and boarded one on Friday,” he said, adding, “Due to the slapping, there is pain on my head and I can’t get up from bed easily.”
IndiGo issued a statement on X on Saturday, stating: “Following due diligence, the incident involving an unruly customer has been formally reported to the relevant authorities for necessary action. In line with our commitment to discourage such unruly behaviour onboard flights, the individual has been suspended from flying on any IndiGo flights, in accordance with regulatory provisions.” The accused has been placed on the airline’s “No Fly List.”
His family narrated the struggle to trace him. “I had posted on Facebook that my nephew had gone missing following the flight incident. On Friday night, I received a call from someone who told me the person in the photo was sitting next to him. I requested that the man to give him the phone as I wanted to talk to him. Later, the same man helped him board a train going towards Tripura or Badarpur and got him down at Barpeta Road Station,” said Hasnul’s uncle.
Dilowar, Hasnul’s cousin, who brought him home, said, “I found him at Barpeta Road Station sitting next to another person. From there, we came to Katigorah and reached home at 7 AM.”
The family accused IndiGo of negligence for not providing a connecting flight to Silchar and failing to inform them of his situation. “They handed him over to the police but didn’t give him a connecting flight, nor did they tell us where he was. It was only because of social media and news channels that we could locate him and bring him home safely today,” the family stated.
Hasnul, who works as a cleaner at a gym in Andheri West, Mumbai, is currently recovering at home.
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