Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra on Saturday sent a legal notice to budget-carrier IndiGo, after the airline banned him from flying with it for a period of six months following an altercation with news anchor Arnab Goswami mid-air on the flight.
Kamra had posted a video clip on social media on Tuesday in which he was heard questioning news anchor Arnab Goswami who chose not to respond.
On Tuesday, IndiGo had tweeted that the airline suspended Kamra from flying for a period of six months alleging that his conduct on board amounted to unacceptable behaviour. Soon after, three other airlines – Air India, SpiceJet and GoAir – also banned him from travelling on their aircraft “until further notice.”
Kamra demands immediate revocation of the six-month ban and an unconditional apology in newspapers, TV channels and social media platforms. Kamra has also sought Rs 25 Lakh as compensation for the agony and losses due to the cancellation of events planned across the country and abroad.
The pilot in command on the Indigo flight who witnessed the heckling episode wrote to the IndiGo management stating that the airline should have consulted him before acting against the comedian.
The captain said that while Kamra’s behaviour was unsavoury, it was not qualifying of a level 1 unruly passenger.
“Pilots can attest to incidents which were similar and/or worse in nature that were not deemed unruly,” added the pilot.