'Why Not Pragya Thakur?' Questions Twitter After IndiGo, Air India, and SpiceJet Ban Kunal Kamra

A viral video in December showed a passenger pointing out that Thakur’s refusal to change her seat, which led to the flight being delayed for 45 minutes.

Raka Mukherjee | News18.com @RakaMukherjeeeUpdated:January 29, 2020, 12:23 PM IST

Image credits: News18 file photo/Screengrab of Indigo Twitter.

Late on Tuesday evening, IndiGo airlines and Air India put out statements on Twitter that they had banned comedian Kunal Kamra from flying with them for a period of six months and indefinite respectively. On Wednesday, SpiceJet barred the comedian from flying with them “till further notice”.

The statement came after a video of him confronting Republic TV journalist, Arnab Goswami went viral on social media.

In the video, which went viral, Kamra can be seen heckling the journalist, trying to provoke and get a few words out of him. He throws multiple questions at him and mocks him in order to get the news anchor to speak, even calling him names, to get a response. The journalist, however, remains silent throughout.

People on the Internet remained divided over what they felt about the video: Some felt that this was much needed, but others opined that he may have gone overboard with his incessant questions.

Not just Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri also reached out on social media, calling it “absolutely unacceptable” and “endangering safety of air travellers.”

Hardeep Singh Puri✔@HardeepSPuri

Offensive behaviour designed to provoke & create disturbance inside an aircraft is absolutely unacceptable & endangers safety of air travellers.

We are left with no option but to advise other airlines to impose similar restrictions on the person concerned. https://twitter.com/IndiGo6E/status/1222177357261180933 …IndiGo✔@IndiGo6E@MoCA_GoI @HardeepSPuri In light of the recent incident on board 6E 5317 from Mumbai to Lucknow, we wish to inform that we are suspending Mr. Kunal Kamra from flying with IndiGo for a period of six months, as his conduct onboard was unacceptable behaviour. 1/2 30.3K 9:21 PM – Jan 28, 2020 Twitter Ads info and privacy 13.6K people are talking about this

As news of the ban broke, people started questioning the airlines’ decision, also pointing out airline company Spicejet, and a recent incident involving BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur From Bhopal, had stirred up a controversy, delaying a passenger flight by over 45 minutes.

A viral video in December showed a passenger pointing out that Thakur’s refusal to change her seat, which led to the flight being delayed for 45 minutes.

SpiceJet later clarified that Thakur was asked by the crew on Delhi-Bhopal flight to move to a non-emergency row seat as she was on a wheelchair but she refused, causing the flight to delay.

While some restless passengers requested Thakur to change her seat from emergency row to non-emergency row, a few others requested the crew to offload her as she was refusing to change the seat, according to the airline’s spokesperson.

Soon after, Thakur filed a complaint here against private airline SpiceJet for allegedly denying her the seat she had booked during the Delhi-Bhopal flight.

Twitter was soon abuzz with questions on why her actions were not banned, and other instances of airlines manhandling passengers were also shared. ‘#BoycottIndiGo’ and ‘Pragya Thakur’ were soon top trends on Twitter.

IndiGo✔@IndiGo6E · 18h

@MoCA_GoI @HardeepSPuri In light of the recent incident on board 6E 5317 from Mumbai to Lucknow, we wish to inform that we are suspending Mr. Kunal Kamra from flying with IndiGo for a period of six months, as his conduct onboard was unacceptable behaviour. 1/2

RK@RK_Insight

Wonder why wasn’t Pragya Thakur banned from flying???482 10:18 PM – Jan 28, 2020 Twitter Ads info and privacy 102 people are talking about this

Saniya.@ShitSaniyaSays

Did @flyspicejet take a similar action on Pragya Thakur when the flight was “delayed” for 45 mins due to her misconduct?

I guess that’s more of an unacceptable behaviour. https://twitter.com/IndiGo6E/status/1222177357261180933 …IndiGo✔@IndiGo6E@MoCA_GoI @HardeepSPuri In light of the recent incident on board 6E 5317 from Mumbai to Lucknow, we wish to inform that we are suspending Mr. Kunal Kamra from flying with IndiGo for a period of six months, as his conduct onboard was unacceptable behaviour. 1/2 6,337 9:43 PM – Jan 28, 2020 Twitter Ads info and privacy 2,129 people are talking about this

richa singh✔@richa_singh

Pragya Thakur will get away with terrorism, angry entitlement and of course brazen support of Godse in Lok Sabha, country’s highest house.

BUT GOD FORBID IF KUNAL KAMRA USED ARNAB’s DECIBEL LEVEL QUESTIONING ON ARNAB – SIX MONTHS BAN ON FLYING, DESH NIKALA.6,183 10:47 PM – Jan 28, 2020 Twitter Ads info and privacy 1,629 people are talking about this

Salil Tripathi سلیل تریپاٹھی સલિલ ત્રિપાઠી✔@saliltripathi · 16h Replying to @HardeepSPuri

Are you also taking action against this Republic TV reporter? https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1372469506200259 …

Salil Tripathi سلیل تریپاٹھی સલિલ ત્રિપાઠી✔@saliltripathi

Dear Mr Puri, did you take any action against this disruptive passenger? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alv3jcouTjg … YouTube ‎@YouTube1,791 10:00 PM – Jan 28, 2020 Twitter Ads info and privacy 655 people are talking about this

Deepanjana✔@dpanjana

In light of Indigo and Air India suspending Kunal Kamra for inconveniencing one passenger on board a flight, just wanted to remind y’all that terror accused Pragya Thakur was rude to fellow passengers and delayed a Spice Jet flight by 45 minutes. Thakur has not been suspended.6,077 11:01 PM – Jan 28, 2020 Twitter Ads info and privacy 2,214 people are talking about this

Einstein @DesiPoliticks

#BoycottIndigo In Nov 17, IndiGo staff manhandled a passenger at Delhi’s Airport.

Kunal Kamra did not even disturb the crew like Pragya Thakur on SpiceJet Airlines.

And they have the audacity to impose a ban on #kunalkamra for his Man Ki Baat aka monologue? So Ban Monologues?6,098 12:54 AM – Jan 29, 2020 Twitter Ads info and privacy 3,796 people are talking about this

Hardeep Singh Puri✔@HardeepSPuri · 17h

Tejinder@Tejinde44628721

And how about Pragya Thakur what she did was right ? And there was no action in her !741 9:23 PM – Jan 28, 2020 Twitter Ads info and privacy 185 people are talking about this

Hardeep Singh Puri✔@HardeepSPuri · 17h

Dr Jwala Gurunath@DrJwalaG

Again selective outrage .What about pragya thakur who delayed the flight & didn’t know basic rules to travel in flight
I support #kunalkamra https://m.timesofindia.com/city/bhopal/pragya-thakurs-row-with-airline-over-seat-delays-flight/amp_articleshow/72932010.cms …Pragya Thakur, airline argue over seat; flight 45 minutes late – Times of IndiaPragya Thakur, BJP MP from Bhopal, had an altercation with SpiceJet officials over her seating on a Delhi-Bhopal flight on Saturday, which delayed the take-off by 45 minutes.m.timesofindia.com 502 10:43 PM – Jan 28, 2020 Twitter Ads info and privacy 180 people are talking about this

Hardeep Singh Puri✔@HardeepSPuri · 17h

Dr Jwala Gurunath@DrJwalaG

Hardeep Singh Puri✔@HardeepSPuri · 17h

Dhruv Rathee@dhruv_rathee

Hello Mr. Puri,

Does this behavior also qualify as disturbing?
Or are your rules not applicable for media houses which are sold out to your government?9,289 9:48 PM – Jan 28, 2020 Twitter Ads info and privacy 3,630 people are talking about this

Gargi Rawat✔@GargiRawat · 7h Replying to @YRDeshmukh

Oh please… Indigo taking action after due process is fine. But for the Aviation Minister of the country to get involved and call for all airlines to take action is excessive. Also Kunal Kamra is a well know govt baiter so it’s as if they got an opportunity to get him #India

Yashwant Deshmukh ✔@YRDeshmukh

THAT is excessive, I agree. Why should a minister be required for that. The airline should have been doing this on their own. And I was also disappointed that Pragya Thakur was not dealt the same way for disruption of scheduled flight. Rules should be the same for everyone.140 8:33 AM – Jan 29, 2020 Twitter Ads info and privacy 62 people are talking about this

SpiceJet has also put out an advisory against Kunal Kamra. They have so far, not put out any advisory against Thakur.