‘Extremely poor seats, substandard cleanliness': Ex-Akal Takht Jathedar alleges ill-treatment by Air India staff
The former Jathedar of the Sri Akal Takht Sahib, Giani Raghbir Singh, has alleged ill-treatment by Air India staff and hit out at the airline for what he described as 'extremely poor' business class conditions on an international flight to the United States. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann responded to the development on Friday, urging the Centre to 'take exemplary action against those responsible'.
In a social media post on Thursday, Giani Raghbir Singh said he was scheduled to travel from New Delhi to San Francisco on Air India flight AI183, along with two others, to participate in a Gurmat Samagam event in Sacramento, California. He alleged that although they boarded the flight with business class tickets, the condition of the seats was 'extremely poor' and 'the cleanliness was substandard'. 'Upon lodging complaints on the spot, the Air India staff members misbehaved,' he further alleged, adding that 'the captain of the flight spoke decently'.
Air India is yet to issue a response to the allegations.
Following the incident, the former Jathedar said he and some other dissatisfied passengers disembarked in protest and sat near the immigration checkpoint inside the terminal. 'We have been harassed at the airport for the past three hours. The immigration officers took our passports, but have not contacted us since. We have not received our luggage either, and no Air India official has reached out to us,' he said.
He further alleged that the group was left without food or water during the ordeal. 'We have been sitting hungry and thirsty in front of the immigration counter for the past three hours — this treatment is utterly disgraceful,' he stated.
Giani Raghbir Singh called for immediate action, demanding that Air India address the issue and improve the standard of service provided.
In a post on social media on Friday, CM Mann said, 'We have received information about a condemnable incident involving former Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, the highest religious seat of the Sikh community, and respected Head Granthi of Sachkhand Sri Harmandir Sahib, Giani Raghbir Singh Ji, who was allegedly mistreated by Air India and its staff.'
Calling Giani Raghbir Singh 'a highly respected figure of our community', Mann said, '…we strongly denounce such behaviour towards him. We demand that the central government investigate the matter thoroughly and take exemplary action against those responsible, so that such incidents do not occur in the future.'
Earlier this year, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had expressed anguish over the discomfort he experienced during an Air India flight from Bhopal to New Delhi after travelling on a 'broken' seat. The minister had questioned the Air India management over the incident, asking if it would 'take steps to ensure that no passenger faces such inconvenience in future'.
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