Tejasvi Surya, IndiGo Still Silent On If It Was The MP Who Opened The Flight's Emergency Door

Since it was revealed that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered a probe into an onboard incident on an IndiGo flight after a passenger opened the emergency door, there has been widespread speculation on the identity of the person.

IndiGo which confirmed the incident onboard the 6E-7339 from Chennai to Tiruchirappalli on December 10, 2022, after the DGCA ordered the probe, however, did not reveal the name of the passenger.

AFP/FILE

What IndiGo said

In a statement on Tuesday, IndiGo said a passenger travelling on flight 6E 7339 from Chennai to Tiruchirapalli on Dec 10, 2022, accidentally opened the emergency exit during the boarding process.

"The passenger immediately apologised for the action. As per SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures), the incident was logged and the aircraft underwent mandatory engineering checks, which led to a delay in the flight's departure," it said.

Is it Tejasvi Surya?

But multiple reports say that the passenger was controversial BJP South Bengaluru MP Tejasvi Surya.

BCCL

According to some reports, Tamil Nadu BJP state president K Annamalai was also on the flight with Surya when he allegedly opened the emergency exit.

The incident resulted in a nearly two-hour delay in the flight, which took off after a safety check.

This led to deplaning of all the passengers, and after two hours of waiting, the flight took off.

How Tejasvi Surya's name was revealed

On December 29, DMK leader and Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji tweeted about the opening of an emergency exit door on a flight, indicating Tejasvi Surya was behind it without naming him.

????? 10??? ???? ¡®??????????¡¯ ????????? ??????? ????????, ??????????? ??????? ???????? ??????????? ????????? ???? ???????? ???????? ??????????? ¡®??????????¡¯ ???? ??????? ???????????????????????.

???????????????? ??????? ??????????? ??????? ?????? ???????? ????? (1/2)

¡ª V.Senthilbalaji (@V_Senthilbalaji) December 29, 2022

Many on social media, including comedian Kunal Kamra, who IndiGo previously barred for heckling Arnab Goswami, posted 'evidence' to suggest that it was Tejasvi Surya.

What happened on board flight 6E7339 on 10th December 2022 @IndiGo6E remains a Mystery.

The emergency exit door was opened

A powerful person was involved hence not reported to DGCA

An apology letter was written

MP @Tejasvi_Surya was in Trichy & also on that flight. pic.twitter.com/EAVyps6BHq

¡ª Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) January 17, 2023

Tejasvi Surya in previous life ? pic.twitter.com/iQlDhXqYH4

¡ª Major Humor Detected (Retd) (@HumorDetected) January 17, 2023

A passenger on the same flight claimed that Tejasvi Surya had opened the emergency exit, stating that the BJP MP was seated near the emergency exit. After the cabin crew explained the emergency rules, he pulled it open.

BT Arasukumar, a former BJP leader and currently the spokesman of the DMK, who was also on the same flight, said that he had seen both Tejasvi Surya and Annamalai on the flight but did not know if the MP had opened the emergency exit.

BCCL

Tejasvi Surya, not new to controversies

Tejasvi Surya, the 32-year-old first-time MP, has had a history of controversies.

In 2020, he caused international embarrassment for the Modi government after his 2015 tweet mocking Arab women went viral, resulting in an intense backlash from Gulf countries.

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