Sikh Passenger Alleges Discrimination, Harassment By Airline Staff At Jaipur Airport On Jaipur Pune SpiceJet Flight
Sikh Passenger Alleges Discrimination, Harassment By Airline Staff At Jaipur Airport On Jaipur Pune SpiceJet Flight
August 28, 2024— A Sikh passenger, Jasveer Singh, has come forward with allegations of discrimination and harassment by SpiceJet staff while attempting to board flight SG1077 from Jaipur to Pune. The incident, which took place in the early hours of Sunday, has drawn attention to the treatment of passengers using Digi Yatra, India’s digital air travel identity system.
Jasveer Singh, who was traveling with a valid boarding pass and had his identity verified at multiple checkpoints through the Digi Yatra system, recounted the ordeal he faced at the boarding gate. After successfully passing through security and being cleared by the Digi Yatra scanners, Singh says he was unexpectedly asked by airline staff to present his ID card again. “Despite the fact that I had my face scanned at every checkpoint using Digi Yatra, I was singled out by Ms. Varsha Saxena,” Singh said, noting that no other passengers were subjected to the same level of scrutiny. “I showed her my Aadhaar as requested, but even after verifying my identity, she refused to scan my boarding pass and instructed her junior to check my baggage weight.”
The passenger has written to the SpiceJet authorities as well as to the airport authorities in Pune and Jaipur.
According to Singh, the airline staff proceeded to weigh his carry-on luggage, a laptop bag and a trolley, which he claims were typical of what many passengers were carrying. However, Singh was the only one asked to weigh his luggage. “At least 15 other passengers had similar luggage, but none of them were stopped or checked,” Singh remarked. “I was singled out after she looked at me as a Sikh.”
The situation escalated when Singh was told that he would have to pay Rs. 3,250 for exceeding the 7kg baggage limit by 5kg. After making the payment via Google Pay, Singh noticed that the payment receipt was not provided. He was then told by the staff that the payment had not gone through, despite his phone clearly showing a successful transaction.
“She said if I didn’t pay again, I wouldn’t be allowed to board,” Singh recalled. “Under pressure from the passengers around us, she finally said I could board the plane, but only if I agreed to pay again once I arrived in Pune.” Singh was made to sign a receipt promising to pay upon arrival at his destination, but was not given a copy of the receipt. His hand baggage was also taken by the staff, who refused to return it until the payment was settled.
Upon landing in Pune, Singh was again faced with demands to pay an additional Rs. 3,250 to retrieve his bag, despite having already made the payment in Jaipur. “They wouldn’t show me their account statement to verify the transaction,” Singh said. “I couldn’t take it anymore, and finally I had to leave the airport without my bag.”
In a final twist, the Pune staff contacted Singh after he had left the airport, asking him to pick up his bag from the counter. Singh expressed frustration at the entire experience, noting that while the Pune staff was cordial, they were following orders from Jaipur. “The Jaipur staff was the worst,” Singh stated. “This was nothing short of extortion.”
Singh believes that his experience was driven by bias, as he was treated differently from other passengers throughout the ordeal. “I was simply standing in line to board the plane and take a nap, but instead I was subjected to mental harassment,” he said.
As the airline industry increasingly adopts digital identity systems like Digi Yatra, Singh’s story raises concerns about how effectively these systems are being implemented and whether they are being applied fairly to all passengers. His experience has cast a spotlight on the need for greater accountability and transparency in the treatment of passengers, particularly those from minority communities.
SpiceJet has yet to respond to the allegations, and Singh is considering filing a formal complaint with the airline and aviation authorities.
