Passengers on a Jet Airways Jodhpur-Delhi flight had a harrowing time after self-proclaimed godman Asaram Bapu and his devotees allegedly created ruckus on-board.
The incident occurred on Sunday on flight 9W 2552, which was delayed by more than two hours and allegedly faced an air-conditioning malfunction. While some passengers on board claim that the flight operated only after Asaram Bapu was wheeled in, Jet Airways ascribed the delay to a technical failure.
Asaram, who faces charges of sexually assaulting a minor, was being brought to Delhi and was accompanied by a posse of policemen. Other passengers on the flight claim that his devotees, who had booked a large number of seats, created a ruckus throughout the one-hour-and -10-minute-long flight.
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Dessidre Fleming, a journalist with online magazine MensXP, who was on the flight, shared her experience in a Facebook post and a column for the magazine. She said that the flight, which was expected to take off by noon, operated only after 2 pm.
“From 10.30 p.m. to 2 p.m., there were no announcements explaining the delay. At 2 p.m., we saw security personnel wheeling in Asaram Bapu. As soon as he arrived, an airline official declared that boarding would start,” Ms. Fleming told The Hindu .
“Once onboard, we found out that the air-conditioning was not working. When we asked the cabin crew, they said it would start once the flight took off. It didn’t improve throughout the flight,” she added.
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“As soon as the flight took off, supporters of Asaram Bapu started walking around and jumping on their seats,” she said. “The cabin crew told them that this was not a local train and that they can’t act like that, but the supporters didn’t listen,” Ms. Fleming said.
She said that when she contacted airline officials at the Delhi airport after landing, they “took the matter lightly”. “They said it was not an issue at all and offered a half-hearted apology,” she said.
‘Worst flight of my life’
“It was the worst flight of my life. The air-conditioning didn’t work throughout, and as a result I felt extremely claustrophobic and started vomiting,” said another passenger who didn’t wish to be identified.
“The devotees started a stampede while boarding and started jumping one over another. After the flight took off, they started walking around and jumping on their seats, trying get take pictures of Asaram Bapu,” she said.
“They tried to reach Asaram Bapu to touch his feet despite the cabin crew requesting them to remain seated. When I asked some of them to stop walking around, they simply stared back,” she said. “The experience was harrowing.”
When contacted, Jet Airways didn’t clarify if Asaram Bapu and his supporters were on the flight. Also, it did not comment about the malfunctioning air-conditioning.
“Jet Airways aircraft scheduled to fly flight 9W 2552 from Jodhpur to Delhi was grounded due to a bird strike, and an alternate aircraft from Delhi was arranged to operate the flight. Unfortunately, the arrival of the alternate aircraft was delayed, due to parking constraints. However, guests booked to travel on the flight were duly notified of the delay and kept informed of the revised departure time,” an airline spokesperson said.
“At Jet Airways, safety of our passengers and crew is of paramount importance. Jet Airways regrets the inconvenience caused to its guests,” the spokesperson added.