According to reports, a female cabin crew member of Air India was allegedly molested by an intruder in a London hotel earlier this week. An airline statement said it is fully cooperating with local authorities over the incident.
Unconfirmed reports said that a vagabond forcibly entered the hotel room of the crew member and attacked her. She cried for help and some guests from other rooms came out and nabbed the man. Some reports said she was sexually attacked by him, while others added a qualifier and said she was physically assaulted.
The attack took place at a luxury hotel near London's Heathrow Airport. The cabin crew member has returned to India and seeks counseling. Air India is deeply disturbed by the "unlawful entrant" and is committed to provide the affected crew member and her team with further professional counselling.
The airline also reiterated that it would continue to work with local police and hotel management to prevent incidents of a similar nature and for safety ensurement. The airline requested the privacy of those affected to be respected.
Following the incident, there is an internal communique that was done by worried staff in Air India. The highlighted issues in the lines of communication range from, among others, lack of hotel staff during the night and lack of control on who arrives at the property.
The airline has, therefore, written to the management of the current hotel seeking an assurance on safety for its staff until alternate arrangements can be made. The mail said, "Air India is taking all necessary steps to get the situation addressed and has decided to shift its staff to some other hotel". The airline would continue to review this travel and stay arrangement as employee feedback and internal assessment informs it periodically.
Concerns that some in the group had been deported only turned out to be issues regarding the conditions of accommodation during the long layovers, according to Air India Express cabin crew members. The airline has also requested the general public to not speculate anything on social media and to instead respect the privacy of affected persons and their families.
Read also | Sri Lankan President Wickremesinghe Urges Strengthening Relations with India
