Child rights organization NCPCR (National Commission for Protection of Child Rights) has taken note of IndiGo’s refusal to allow a child with special needs to board a plane with his family in Ranchi. “An incidence of misbehaving by IndiGo workers at Ranchi airport with a specially-abled child has surfaced. On Monday, the chairperson of the rights body, Priyank Kanoongo, stated that “cognizance is being taken for appropriate action.”
Jyotiraditya Scindia, the aviation minister, had previously stated that he will personally investigate the situation in a tweet. “This type of behavior will not be tolerated.” This is something that no human being should have to go through! Scindia tweeted, “I am investigating the matter on my own, after which suitable action will be taken.”
In the wake of the outrage, the aviation authority, the DGCA, ordered an investigation on Sunday.
According to Indigo, the boy was not allowed to board the flight from Ranchi because he was “in a panic.” “A specially-abled child could not board the flight with his family on May 7 due to his nervousness,” the statement read.
“We regret the disruption caused to the passengers,” it said, noting that ground officials attempted to calm him down. IndiGo takes pride in being an inclusive company, both for its staff and customers, with over 75,000 specially abled passengers flying with the airline every month.”
A “shameful” post about the incident was widely circulated on social media. “An adolescent with special needs was in tremendous distress at the Ranchi airport yesterday.” He’d had a bumpy travel to the airport. He appeared to be in the throes of hunger, thirst, anxiety, and uncertainty by the time he had gone through security and arrived at the gate (nearly an hour before boarding),” Manisha Gupta of India Start Up consultancy posted on Facebook.
“His parents clearly knew how to deal with his meltdown – patience, cajoling, sternness, lots of hugs, and so on.” Other passengers came over to see if they needed any assistance or support. The #indigoairlines personnel noticed this and approached the three, warning them that if the child did not calm down and become ‘normal,’ they would not be allowed to board.
The child had been fed by the time the boarding began. He’d taken many sips of juice and water. Except for some huge demonstrations of usual teenage assertiveness, his parents had successfully given him his medicine, and he seemed ready. Then we saw the entire exhibition of raw authority and power,” it continued, recounting the incident in more detail.
