Drunk passengers on Indigo Delhi to Patna flight smuggle alcohol in, arrested upon landing

As if flying into rage and inappropriate behaviour wasn't enough for Indian men on international flights, now reports say that three male passengers were caught consuming alcohol on a domestic flight. The incident took place on a Delhi-Patna flight. Two passengers have been arrested by the Patna airport police so far.

There are multiple questions that crop up in the incident. First of all, why were the passengers drunk when alcohol isn't served on domestic flights?

What happened? The incident took place on IndiGo flight 6E-6383 from Delhi to Patna on Sunday night, January 8.

• Three male passengers were accused of smuggling and consuming alcohol on a domestic flight. 
• According to the latest statement by IndiGo, the passengers were caught carrying and consuming alcohol and were asked to stop drinking. 
• After the warning, the passengers reportedly stopped drinking alcohol and apologised. 
• Two of the three passengers were arrested by the police after landing in Patna at 8.44 pm. The third flier is said to be absconding. 
• IndiGo also clarified that the inebriated passengers did not create a ruckus on the flight.

With reference to the incident that took place onboard 6E 6383 from Delhi-Patna, the matter is under investigation with the authorities. We would like to clarify that there was no altercation onboard the aircraft, as what is being reported in some sections of social media: IndiGo pic.twitter.com/o2XJGN0VQ9

— ANI (@ANI) January 9, 2023    

• Earlier reports quoting the Patna Airport SHO said that the drunk passengers created a ruckus on the flight.  
• Reportedly, the three passengers claimed to be connected to the national head of JD(U), the ruling party in Bihar.

Bihar | Two pax - Rohit and Nitish - nabbed & handed over to Patna Airport Police last night after they created a ruckus onboard Delhi-Patna IndiGo flight 6E-6383, in an inebriated condition. Case registered at the Police station based on a written complaint by IndiGo's manager. pic.twitter.com/yeOu8tJSBg

— ANI (@ANI) January 9, 2023

• An FIR has been registered in the case, though it is not yet known what charges have been added. 
• The two accused will be produced in a court in the matter. 
• The arrested individuals identified as Nitish Kumar and Rohit are residents of Vaishali district in Bihar and are aged between 30-32. 
• With regards to alcohol, a breathalyzer test revealed that the two arrested were inebriated, though no alcohol was served on the flight.  

Past incidents: Indian men have become infamous recently on flights after a string of indecent incidents. 

• In November 2022, Shankar Mishra (34), a Wells Fargo employee (now ex-employee) urinated on a woman passenger in business class and exposed himself while drunk on an Air India flight from New York to Delhi. The man has since been fired by his employer and arrested. 
• On the other hand, the Air India crew's unprofessional handling of the case has forced the airline to open an investigation into the incident. 
• In another incident on an Air India Paris to Delhi flight, another drunk man urinated on a woman passenger just 10 days after the Mishra incident. Even then, the Air India crew let go of the man with just an apology letter. 
• Not just urinating men, an Air India flight from Mumbai to London also reported an incident of a drunk passenger trying to inappropriately touch an 8-year-old girl in September 2022. The man was later handed over to the London police. 

These recurring incidents raise the question of whether the skies are safe for women to travel. Usually, flights are considered to be safer for women compared to buses or trains. But it seems like other than being molested, women now have to put up with men urinating on them.