IndiGo bans CPM leader Jayarajan over clash with Cong workers in flight carrying Kerala CM

The IndiGo airlines banned CPI(M) central committee member EP Jayarajan over his scuffle with two Youth Congress workers who staged a protest against chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan inside a flight last month.

EP Jayarajan has been banned from travelling on international as well as domestic flights of IndiGo for a period of three weeks, while the Congress workers have been barred for 2 weeks from using the service of the airlines.

However, Jayarajan stated that he hasn’t received any information on the flight ban.

The incident occurred on June 13 when three Youth Congress workers boarded the IndiGo 6E flight from Kannur to Thiruvananthapuram. After the flight landed, they raised slogans against CM Vijayan who was on board, demanding his resignation over the allegations raised by the gold smuggling case accused Swapna Suresh.

Enraged by the protest, Jayarajan allegedly pushed the two leaders, causing chaos at the Thiruvananthapuram airport. The two protestors were soon taken to police custody and later remanded by a local court. They were charged with an attempt to murder among other sections of IPC and Aviation laws.

CPI(M) wrote to DGCA alleging attack on Kerala CM, BJP rebutted claims

Following the incident, CPI(M) MP V Sivadasan wrote a letter to the DGCA alleging an assault on Kerala CM after Youth Congress workers sloganeered against the CM inside a flight. In the letter, he wrote, "I would like to invite your attention to the heinous attempt to physically attack the Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan, posing a grave threat to his life and security in complete violation of Aircraft Security Rules and conventions, in the Indigo flight from Kannu to Thiruvanthapuram on 13th June 2022". Condemning the incident, he demanded strict action against the alleged assault.

Reacting to this, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar hit out against the allegations and stated that it was Left Democratic Front (LDF) convener EP Jayarajan who made the assault.

Retweeting the complaint raised by CPI(M) MP V Sivadasan, MoS and BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar stated that it was the LDF leader who made the assault inside the flight. He shared video footage of the protest inside the flight, and noted that the LDF convener was the one who was “assaulting the youth.”