Woman rejects Shankar Mishra’s claim that she urinated on herself as ‘disparaging, derogatory’

Mr. Mishra told police he had “blacked out” during the flight; his lawyers initially claimed his act was obscene but not intentional, then changed tack to claim he did not urinate on the victim at all

Policemen escort Shankar Mishra, arrested for being an unruly airline passenger, outside a court in New Delhi on Saturday, January 7, 2023. | Photo Credit: AP

The counsel for the elderly woman who complained that Shankar Mishra urinated on her on an Air India flight in November 2022 has reacted with outrage to Mr. Mishra’s defence in a Delhi court claiming that the complainant had actually peed on herself.

“It has been brought to our knowledge that certain scurrilous and defamatory allegations have been made on behalf of the accused before the ASJ, Patiala House Court. Needless to state, the allegations are completely false and concocted and by their very nature are disparaging and derogatory,” said a statement issued by Ankur Mahindro, the counsel for the victim.

It added that the allegation that the victim urinated on herself was a complete contradiction and volte face of the statements made by the accused to plead his case in his bail application. “The endeavour of the victim throughout has been to ensure that institutional changes are made so that no individual has to go through the horrendous experience that the victim suffered,” Mr. Mahindro said.

The accused, however, instead of being remorseful for the utterly disgusting act committed by him, has adopted a campaign of spreading misinformation and falsities with the intent of further harassing the victim, said the statement.

Changing stories

The Delhi Police arrested 34-year-old Shankar Mishra in Bengaluru last week, on the basis of a complaint that, while inebriated, he urinated on a senior citizen and co-traveller aboard an Air India New York-New Delhi flight in November.

He told the police during his interrogation that he did not remember anything about the incident as he had “blacked out” during the flight.

During bail arguments in the court, the accused’s lawyers initially maintained that the alleged act, though obscene, cannot come under the Indian Penal Code’s Section 354, since the intention to outrage the modesty of a woman was absent on the part of the accused.

While the matter was being heard before the Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) on Friday, the counsel for the accused took a U-turn and said that their client was totally innocent. They claimed that it was the complainant who had peed on herself, adding that the woman was suffering from bladder issues, being a Bharatanatyam dancer.