After IndiGo and Air India suspended stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra from flying for ambushing Republic TV editor and journalist Arnab Goswami, Twitteratti is divided on whether the flight ban is justifiable.
Some think it is justified, while others think it’s in not and some also accused the airlines of 'hypocrisy', after which #BoyCottIndigo started trending on Twitter.
The IndiGo airline tweeted, “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," and another one of their tweets read, “Hereby, we wish to advise our passengers to refrain from indulging in personal slander whilst onboard, as this can potentially compromise the safety of fellow passengers.”
The IndiGo airline also tagged Union Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, who later advised other airlines in India to impose similar restrictions on Kamra, stating "offensive behaviour designed to provoke & create disturbance inside an aircraft is absolutely unacceptable & endangers safety of air travellers".
After the airlines banned Kamra from flying, Twitterati decided to boycott IndiGo for its decision.
Here's what Twitterati had to say:
On Tuesday, Kamra allegedly heckled Goswami on IndiGo's Mumbai-Lucknow (6E5317) flight. In a video clip posted by Kamra on his Twitter handle, he is seen asking Goswami if he is a "coward, a journalist or a nationalist."
While Goswami can be seen sitting in the plane, glued to his laptop with his earphones plugged in, Kamra is heard as telling him, "Viewers want to know if Arnab today is a coward or a nationalist. Arnab, this is for national interest. I am part of the tukde-tukde narrative. You should deflate me. You should take the enemy of the states down. You should make sure that the country is in safe hands of Narendra Modi."
"You should fight against dynasts like Rahul Gandhi, who I support, on 10 Tughlaq Lane. Arnab, you should have a reply, Arnab. Arnab, are you a coward or are you a journalist? Are you a coward or are you a journalist or a nationalist? Who are you, Arnab? Who are you?" Kamra can be heard as saying in the video clip.
