Case against Emirates staff at Hyderabad airport for abusing a woman and a cop

HYDERABAD: RGIA police booked two staff members of Emirates Airlines at the Shamshabad airport here, on charges of abusing and harassing a wheelchair-bound woman passenger in her late fifties, and the police constable who was assisting her during check-in on Saturday.

When the US-bound passenger requested the staff to expedite the process, citing her illness, the airline personnel at the counter allegedly abused her. When a constable, Gemya Naik, who liaises between passengers and airport officials, tried to intervene, the staff abused him and called him drunk.

On a complaint from the constable, police booked a case of assault on a public servant, insulting a person and criminal intimidation against the two staff members.

RGIA police inspector R. Srinivas confirmed that a case has been registered and was under investigation.

When asked about the incident by this correspondent, an Emirates spokesperson said, “We are aware of the complaint related to the alleged incident at the airport. We can confirm that we are cooperating with the authorities. As the matter is under investigation we cannot comment any further.”

Sources said the female passenger and her husband had approached constable Naik for help.

Though the couple had arrived in advance, the woman requested an expedited check-in so that she could go and relax.

Naik escorted her to the check-in counter and explained the situation to the staff. They were asked to wait as the staff cleared other passengers. After the other passengers were cleared, Naik went to the counter again. At this, the counter in charge, identified as Santoshini, allegedly started abusing him, asking why he had come there again.

Even as Santoshini was abusing, her colleague, Jagadeesh, joined her and started abusing the cop and the female passenger. After they were pacified, the staff checked in the couple who continued their journey.