After a row over Punjab chief minister Bhagwant allegedly being deplaned on a Delhi-bound flight from Germany, allegedly because he was inebriated, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday said he will investigate the matter and has sought a detailed report from Lufthansa Airlines.
On Monday, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal levelled serious allegations against Mann and asked him to clarify media reports of him being deplaned from a flight from Frankurt to Delhi on Sunday as he was “too drunk to walk”, leading to a 4-hour delay in the flight. Scindia on Tuesday said that he would investigate the matter based on the requests made to him.
“This was an incident on international soil, will have to make sure to verify the details and facts. It’s up to Lufthansa airlines to provide that data,” Scindia said.
India’s aviation ministry received details about Mann’s last-minute skipping of his Lufthansa Airways flight, and on the basis of the details, the ministry decided to seek a report in detail from Lufthansa.
“Based on a request which has been sent to me… I will certainly look into the matter,” Scindia told mediapersons.
The Punjab chief minister was on a visit to Germany from September 11–18 to attract investments and strategic alliances in various sectors. Notably, Mann returned from his eight-day trip to Germany on Monday.
Lufthansa Airlines, meanwhile, on Monday issued clarification regarding the 4-hour delay of its Delhi-Frankfurt flight. According to Lufthansa News, the Frankfurt to Delhi flight departed later than its scheduled time due to a delayed inbound flight and an aircraft change. “Our flight from Frankfurt to Delhi departed later than originally planned due to a delayed inbound flight and an aircraft change,” Lufthansa News tweeted.