It’s been weeks since a man flashed at a 70-year-old elderly woman and peed on her while onboard an Air India flight plying from New York to Delhi back in November 2022. The incident attracted public outrage after the media highlighted the plight of the victim.
But it was only after the woman wrote a letter to the air carrier that they filed an FIR against the accused on charges of sexual harassment and outraging the modesty of a woman in Delhi and put him on their no-fly list.
Well, the cops have finally unearthed who the accused is. According to The Indian Express, the man behind this disgusting act is 34-year-old Shankar Mishra, a resident of Mumbai.
After the police issued a Look Out Circular (LoC) against Mishra, Delhi cops became proactive and arrested Mishra on Saturday from Bengaluru. He was later brought to Delhi for questioning.
However, his father, Shyam Mishra, while speaking to the media had said that false allegations have been levied against his son.
“This is a totally false case. My son hadn’t slept for 30-35 hours. After dinner, he might’ve consumed the drink given by the crew and then slept. From what I understand, he was questioned by airline staff after he woke up,” Hindustan Times quoted him saying.
He further added, “I don’t think he would do it. She (the victim) is a 72-year-old woman, she is like his mother. He (the accused, his son) is a 34-year-old man. How can he do it? He is married and has an 18-year-old daughter.” With that logic, the 34-year-old accused became a dad at 16.
According to Mishra’s father and his lawyer, there were no eyewitnesses to the incident and the victim is falsely accusing him probably to extort money.
“She (victim) had demanded payment and it was made. Don’t know what happened next. Must have demanded something that perhaps wasn’t met that upset her. Perhaps there was blackmailing, there must be something,” Shyam Mishra added.
However, according to the victim, she was forced to confront the accused despite her unwillingness to meet him.
बेशर्म #ShankarMishra से अगर आप माफी की उम्मीद रखते हैं तो उसके पिता और वकील का बयान देखें
बेशर्मों, महिलाओं के सम्मान को पैसे से मत तौलो। शराबी को बचाने के लिए बुज़ुर्ग पर लांछन लगाना गलत है।
याद रखिए, महिलाओं की इज़्ज़त करना ही हमारी सनातन संस्कृति है!#AirIndia #DelhiPolice pic.twitter.com/LqVJKKCGQ0
— Netta D'Souza (@dnetta) January 7, 2023
Reports suggest that Mishra was employed at Wells Fargo, a US financial services company, in Mumbai as the Vice President of Operations (India).
After Mishra was named in the case, his company sacked him calling the incident ‘deeply disturbing’.
“Wells Fargo holds employees to the highest standards of professional and personal behavior and we find these allegations deeply disturbing. This individual has been terminated from Wells Fargo. We are cooperating with law enforcement and ask that any additional inquiry be directed to them,” the company said in a statement.
The two pilots along with eight crew members of the airline were also issued a summons and have been called to Delhi for questioning.
I would say kudos to the media for picking up the incident and forcing the authorities to take action on the matter. We hope justice is served to the innocent.
Cover source: right