An Indian family has alleged a humiliation and racial behavior by British Airways when they were forced to deplane because their three-year-old child was crying onboard while they were traveling from London to Berlin on the flight (BA 8495) on July 23.
AP Pathak is the Indian passenger who was deplaned along with his family and he is a joint secretary-level officer in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, wrote a letter to Union aviation minister Suresh Prabhu and foreign minister Sushma Swaraj alleging “humiliation and racial discrimination” by the European airline.
Pathak in his complaint to aviation minister Prabhu said, “A male crew member approached us and started shouting.. scolded my son to go to his seat…My son got terrified and started crying (inconsolably). (An) other Indian family sitting behind us offered the child some biscuits to console him. My wife again put the boy on his designated seat and fastened the seat belt even though he kept on crying….”
The letter further reads, “The aircraft then started taxiing on the runway. “(The) same crew member came again and shouted at my son that ‘you bloody keep quiet otherwise you will be thrown out of the window’ and we would be offloaded. We were petrified.”
“The crew member made racist remarks and used words like ‘bloody’ about Indians…. I request to have the matter investigated and take the strictest possible action,” the letter says.
A British Airways stated: “We take such claims like this extremely seriously and do not tolerate discrimination of any kind. We have started a full investigation and are in direct contact with the customer.”
Pathak has sought an apology and compensation for harassment.
