Air India peeing incident: Tata Group Chairman N Chandrasekaran says it is a matter of personal anguish, response should have been much swifter

Tata Group Chairman N Chandrasekaran on Sunday reacted to an incident in which an inebriated man peed on a co-passenger on an Air India flight. He issued a statement and said it is a matter of personal anguish, and the company’s response should have been much swifter.

He stated that the incident on Air India flight AI102 on November 26, 2022, has been a matter of personal anguish to him and his colleagues at Air India. Air India’s response should’ve been much swifter. We fell short of addressing this situation the way it should have been.

He further added The Tata Group and Air India stand by the safety and well-being of our passengers and crew with full conviction. We will review and repair every process to prevent or address any incidents of such unruly nature.

The incident occurred on November 26 when a drunk man, Shankar Mishra, the Vice President of the India chapter of the American financial service company Wells Fargo, reportedly urinated on an elderly woman on a New York to Delhi flight. On January 6, he was arrested by the Delhi Police and placed in judicial custody for 14 days.

Though the incident occurred in November, the airline did not file an FIR until at least six weeks later. The woman said she is particularly distressed that the airline made no attempt to ensure her safety or comfort during this incident, despite her writing a letter to Tata and the airline, alleging that the crew was not proactive in managing a susceptible and traumatic situation.

Air India has registered a complaint against him and has banned the passenger for a maximum of 30 days.