Air India speaks on cabin scuffle

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/south_asia/8293190.stm

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A mid-air scuffle between pilots and cabin crew of an Air India flight last Saturday did not endanger the 106 passengers on board, the company says.

It says its preliminary enquiry has established "that the cockpit was not left unmanned at any stage of the flight" from Sharjah to Delhi.

One of the pilots and a cabin crew member have been suspended, its says.

The brawl is said to have begun when a female flight attendant claimed the pilots had sexually harassed her.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Air India said a five-member committee investigating the altercation would determine "the extent of involvement and culpability" of the individuals concerned.

Counter-claim

The incident took place over Pakistan on the Air India IC 884 flight from Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates, to Delhi.

One pilot and one air hostess reportedly suffered bruises, as punches were thrown.

The cabin crew alleged that pilots sexually had harassed the 24-year-old flight attendant, who filed a complaint once the plane landed.

Indian police registered the case against the pilots for "outraging the modesty of a woman", The Times of India reported.

But the newspaper said the pilots had made a counter-claim, saying that the harassment claim was an attempt to divert attention from accusations of misconduct against a male flight attendant.

Air India said shortly afterwards that it had grounded all the staff involved.