Mahua Moitra heckled with ‘chor chor’ slogans on IndiGo flight, files DGCA complaint
TMC MP said she was subjected to slogan shouting and intimidation onboard a Delhi-bound flight and accused the airline crew of failing to intervene during the incident
Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra on Friday (May 8) lodged a complaint to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), alleging that she faced “harassment” by a group of men onboard an IndiGo flight. Moitra was travelling to Delhi to attend a meeting of the parliamentary standing committee on defence.
Slogans raised onboard
Elaborating further, the TMC MP in a post on X stated that the incident took place on IndiGo flight 6E 719, alleging that after the flight landed and before the doors were opened, a group of men onboard the flight started shouting slogans at her. They also recorded the incident on their phone.
“Chor chor, TMC chor, pishi chor, bhaipo chor (thieves, thieves, TMC is a thief, aunt is a thief, nephew is a thief),” the men shouted. Moitra further alleged that slogans of “Jai Shri Ram” were also raised, adding that she feared for her safety onboard the flight.
“This is no ‘citizen anger’. This is harassment and violates my safety on an aircraft. No way that these louts can get away with this harassment inside an aeroplane,” she said, adding, "This is BJP culture. Why is anyone surprised?"
Decision to go public
The TMC MP also said that although she ignored the incident and attended the parliamentary meeting, she decided to react to the matter publicly after seeing videos of the incident online.
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In her complaint to DGCA, Moitra alleged that a group of “miscreants” subjected her to targeted harassment onboard the flight, claiming they engaged in “loud and continuous chanting of political slogans of a partisan nature, plainly aimed at intimidating and humiliating me on account of my political affiliation.”
Allegations of intimidation
Elaborating on the incident, she alleged that the group went beyond slogan shouting and deliberately created an atmosphere of intimidation. According to her complaint, the men used “politically charged slogans and chants that had the manifest object and effect of stigmatising me on grounds of my political affiliation.”
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She further alleged that the abuse escalated into “personal abuse, jeers, name-calling and gendered invective directed at me, including remarks designed to provoke, terrify and demean.” Moitra also claimed that passengers recorded her on mobile phones without consent while urging others onboard to join in, alleging the entire episode appeared “rehearsed” and intended for circulation on social media.
Questions over airline response
The MP also raised questions over the airline’s handling of the incident, alleging that the cabin crew “remained passive bystanders” and did not intervene or seek assistance. She urged the DGCA to direct IndiGo to file a formal complaint over the alleged unruly conduct of the Pilot-in-Command within 48 hours and initiate the mandatory internal adjudication process.
Moitra also sought a show-cause notice against the airline and the cabin crew, asking them to explain why they “failed to fulfil their statutory responsibilities.” IndiGo has not yet issued an official response.