A day after Indian carriers barred stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra from flying, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the action taken by airlines was in complete consonance with Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) Section-3, Series M Part VI on handling of unruly passengers.
Internal committee
Reacting to a news website report that the flying ban was a clear violation of rules, the aviation regulator said the matter was now to be referred to the internal committee as prescribed in para 6.1 of the said CAR.
Also read: SpiceJet, GoAir also refuse to fly stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra
Action against Mr. Kamra from other airlines came after he tweeted a video showing him accosting television journalist Arnab Goswami, and Minister of State for Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri advised them (other airlines) to impose restrictions similar to what IndiGo had imposed on the stand-up comedian.
“Further, as per para 6.4 of the CAR, the internal committee is to give the final decision in 30 days by giving the reasons in writing, which shall be binding on the airline concerned. Punishment for different type of unruly behaviour is also prescribed in the same CAR and the internal committee has to adhere to the same,” the DGCA said.
Mr. Kamra and Mr. Goswami meanwhile ended up on the same flight once again on Wednesday, while flying back from Lucknow to Mumbai. Mr. Kamra was barred by the airline from flying after the aircraft landed in Mumbai. Barring Vistara and Air Asia, the rest — SpiceJet, Air India and GoAir — have barred Mr. Kamra from flying.
Rahul tweets
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted in support of Mr. Kamra.
Also read:Analysis | Flying ban on Kunal Kamra: Probe must to slap three-month flying ban
“The ban imposed on #kunalkamra by 4 airlines is the act of a coward leveraging his influence with the Govt to silence a critic... Those who use their “news” cameras as 24x7 tools of propaganda, should show some spine when the camera is turned on them,” he said.
