Akal Takht ex-Jathedar alleges harassment by Air India staff
Former Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh on Thursday missed his flight to the US after he allegedly faced harassment at the hands of the Air India ground staff at the New Delhi airport.
Giani Raghbir Singh, who is currently the Head Granthi of the Golden Temple, was scheduled to travel to San Francisco on Air India flight number AI 183 to participate in a religious programme in Sacramento.
He was accompanied by his son and another family member.
When contacted, the airline did not respond to the request for a comment.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and officiating Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj condemned the alleged incident.
Giani Gargaj has demanded the Union Civil Aviation Minister’s intervention and appropriate action against the erring staff.
“The position of the Head Granthi of the Golden Temple is highly respectable. Central agencies and the airport authorities must make it a point to show special regard towards such dignitaries,” he said.
SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said the Sikh Mission, Delhi, had been directed to take up the matter with the authorities concerned.
Speaking over the phone, Giani Raghbir Singh said after he boarded the plane, he found the condition of the business class seats extremely poor while the cleanliness was substandard.
“I, along with some other passengers, objected to it,” he said.
He said, upon lodging a complaint with the airline, the Air India staff misbehaved with him, though the captain of the flight was speaking decently.
“Following this, some other passengers and I deboarded the plane in protest. We waited for three hours, without food and water, for the airline staff to respond to our complaint in front of the immigration counter, but no Air India official cared to reach out to us,” he said in a social media post.
Giani Raghbir Singh said he would lodge a complaint with the authorities concerned over it.
“Our passports were with the immigration officers and we struggled to get our passports and luggage back,” he said, adding that they had to miss the flight as the airline’s staff was indifferent to their complaint.
He said the airline staff extended “identical treatment” to a woman passenger accompanied by a child when she objected to the filthy conditions.
Punjab