Indian comedian Kunal Kamra is suspended from flying with IndiGo, Air India, Jet Airways and SpiceJet after confronting news presenter Arnab Goswami on an IndiGo flight this week.
Kamra, who has previously performed in Dubai, was flying from Mumbai to Lucknow when he berated fellow passenger and journalist Goswami.
Shortly after the flight landed, IndiGo announced it was banning Kamra from taking any flights with the airline for six months.
Civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri tweeted that other airlines should follow suit.
Similar bans are now in force from Air India, Jet Airways and SpiceJet with the airlines implementing the move until "further notice".
Offensive behaviour designed to provoke & create disturbance inside an aircraft is absolutely unacceptable & endangers safety of air travellers.
— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) January 28, 2020
We are left with no option but to advise other airlines to impose similar restrictions on the person concerned. https://t.co/UHKKZfdTVS
In-flight argument
According to Kamra, who posted a statement about the incident on Facebook, he initially approached Goswami on board the flight and politely requested to speak with him.
I did this for my hero...
— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) January 28, 2020
I did it for Rohit pic.twitter.com/aMSdiTanHo
The news anchor allegedly ignored him and called him mentally unstable.
Footage of the incident, which Kamra filmed and posted on social media, shows Goswami ignoring Kamra, keeping his sunglasses on and wearing headphones.
In the video, Kamra repeatedly asks: "Are you a coward or a journalist?" and says, "The nation wants to know," in what appears to be an imitation of Goswami's interrogative interviewing technique.
When a crew member approaches Kamra, he admits that he knows his actions are not allowed saying: "I'll go to jail for this, it's fine."
IndiGo cites unacceptable conduct
IndiGo announced it was banning the comedian from flying with the airline citing unacceptable conduct and personal slander by Kamra as the basis for its decision.
The move sparked social media uproar with fans of the comedian disputing the airlines' decisions.
#BoycottIndigo and #IstandwithKunalKamra were trending on twitter.
Shashi Tharoor, member of parliament for Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram, tweeted to his seven million followers that it was good to see the news anchor getting "a taste of his own medicine".
The truth is that it was time someone gave him a taste of his own medicine. These are the words he regularly uses to berate his innocent victims, except he does so in a hectoring, bullying manner & at higher volume & pitch than @kunalkamra88 does in this video. https://t.co/e94B8WcEtj
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) January 28, 2020
Others on social media supported the decision, with several asking why the ban was only for a six-month period.
Some users called on other people to follow Kamra's example and ask Goswami for an interview whenever they meet him.
Every person who meets #ArnabGoswami in a public place should ask him for an interview. Be it airport, plane, restaurant, movie theater etc.
— Anthony Joseph (@anthonyjos) January 29, 2020
The guy has been hiding for a long time in a studio, running Twitter trends & burning India while himself hiding from Twitter itself.
No regrets, says Kamra
According to the comedian's statement on Facebook, after Goswami initially ignored his questions, he "did exactly what Republic TV journalists do to people in their private/public spaces, and I don't regret it".
The comedian said he was not sorry for questioning Goswami, but wrote that he had apologised to crew, pilots and all other passengers for any inconvenience caused during the flight.
"Let us all take a moment and fondly remember a smiling Rohith Vemula," added Kamra towards the end of his Facebook statement.
This refers to a former student at the University of Hyderabad who took his own life after educational authorities allegedly stopped paying his monthly stipend. The university denied this, but Vemula's death gained widespread media attention as a case of discrimination against some ethnic groups in India. Goswami allegedly led a debate questioning the caste of the Dalit student.
Opposing figures
This is not the first time that Kamra has been in trouble. The comic has faced cancelled gigs, eviction notices and hefty fines for his controversial humour. He has challenged the state and government via YouTube videos and allegedly received more than one death threat in the past.
Goswami, who runs the Republic news network in India, is a popular but antagonising figure. He is known for his harsh treatment of guests and is often seen questioning panelists by shouting in their faces.
