Air India urination incident: It's a matter of personal anguish, says Tata Sons

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The urination incident onboard an Air India flight between New York and Delhi on November 26 last year is a "matter of personal anguish", said Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran on Sunday.

In a statement, Chandrasekaran said, "The incident on Air India flight AI102 on November 26th, 2022, has been a matter of personal anguish to me and my colleagues at Air India. Air India's response should have been much swifter. We fell short of addressing this situation the way it should have been."

He further said that the Tata Group and Air India stand by the safety and well-being of the passengers and crew with full conviction.

"We will review and repair every process to prevent or address any incidents of such unruly nature," he added.

Earlier, after facing backlash, Air India had issued show cause notices to four of its cabin crew and one pilot and de-rostered them pending investigations.

On Friday, Air India chief executive officer (CEO) Campbell Wilson also asked the airline staff to report any instances of "any improper behaviour on board to authorities at the earliest even if the matter appears to be resolved".

In a letter to Air India employees, the CEO stated that timely action is necessary against those who don't follow the flight rules.

Campbell said, "This week has, 'regrettably', been dominated by media headlines of which you are no doubt familiar. The repulsion felt by the affected passenger is totally understandable and we share her distress."

Also Read: Air India 'peeing' incident: Shankar Mishra sent to 14-day judicial custody

He reiterated the importance of reporting untoward incidents onboard flights to authorities, even if the crew believes it has been resolved.

Meanwhile, Delhi's Patiala House Court on Saturday sent accused Shankar Mishra, who had allegedly urinated on a co-passenger, to 14 days of judicial custody.

Accused Shankar Mishra's lawyer moved a bail plea in Delhi's Patiala Court. The plea will be heard on January 11.

Mishra was arrested by Delhi Police from Bengaluru on Friday night.

Notably, the Delhi Police has so far recorded the statements of three crew members of Air India today in connection with the case.

Mishra had allegedly urinated on a 70-year-old woman in an intoxicated condition in business class of an Air India flight on November 26 last year.

Delhi Police had registered an FIR against him on January 4 on a complaint given by the woman to Air India.

The police registered an FIR under sections 354, 509, and 510 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 23 of the Indian Aircraft Act. Both the accused and the victim are from outside Delhi.

US-based financial services company Wells Fargo on Friday also terminated its employee Shankar Mishra.

"Wells Fargo holds employees to the highest standards of professional and personal behaviour and we find these allegations deeply disturbing. This individual has been terminated from Wells Fargo. We are cooperating with law enforcement and ask that any additional inquiries be directed to them," the company said in a statement.

The company's statement came after Delhi Police reached out to Wells Fargo to cooperate with investigations against accused Mishra.

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