Gaikwad requests Civil Aviation Minister to lift flight ban

New Delhi April 6 (IANS) Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad who was banned from flying after he assaulted an Air India official with his footwear on Thursday wrote to Civil Aviation Minister P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju requesting for lifting of the flying ban on him.

Regretting the incidence Gaikwad in a letter to the Minister said It could have been no one s intention to have let the situation aggravate to the level that it eventually did.

Requesting Raju to lift the ban on his flying as it was impacting execution of his duties as a parliamentarian Gaikwad said I would request you to lift this restriction and let the investigation eventually determine the circumstances which led to the incident.

Gaikwad Lok Sabha member from Osmanabad in Maharashtra assaulted 60-year-old duty manager R. Sukumar of Air India late last month.

He said that he beat up the official 25 times with a footwear because he had to travel economy class though he had an open business class ticket. The flight was an all-economy one and had no business class section.

The MP was later banned by Air India from flying aboard its aircraft following which other private airlines also refused to fly him.

--IANS
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