Twitterati slams IndiGo for not allowing disabled child, parents

CHENNAI: A social media post on how the staff of IndiGo airlines barred an adolescent with special needs from boarding a plane along with his parents at Ranchi airport has created an uproar.

The post explained that the boy seemed to be in the throes of hunger, thirst, anxiety and depression, during the security check as he had a very uncomfortable ride to the airport. This incident caught the attention of the IndiGo official, who walked up to the trio, and said that the child is unfit to travel, citing the reason that he could be a threat to the co-passengers.

“Do you think a mother could let her child harm himself or others?” asked the mother of a special child, in reply to the arrogant statement of the official. The co-passengers too supported the family, saying that it’s the child’s very own right to board the flight. Despite requests, the official denied them to fly and made them de-board.

Users of social media claim it is a ‘shocking, unlawful incident of discrimination and demanded a defamation suit by the Central government.

In a statement, IndiGo claimed that the ground staff waited for the child to calm down till the last minute, but it did not happen. However, Manisha Gupta, who witnessed the incident, claimed that the child had calmed down and was ready to board the flight.

‘Zero tolerance for such behaviour’, said Jyotiraditya Scindia, a member of Rajya Sabha, who is on board to investigate the case personally, is the latest development of this case.