An anxious 13-year-old boy in a wheelchair was deemed to be a threat to fellow passengers and denied boarding by IndiGo at Ranchi airport on Saturday, sparking a backlash on social media that prompted the airline to make special arrangements to fly out the teenager and his parents to Hyderabad the next morning.
A doctor who was at the terminal to take a flight to Delhi and saw the episode unravel told TOI that at least one IndiGo employee misbehaved with the boy’s parents after they protested against him being barred from boarding. “The special child was in a wheelchair and everyone, including me and my fellow passengers as well as a delegation of doctors returning to Hyderabad and Delhi, requested the IndiGo employee to allow the boy on the flight,” Dr Sumit Ray said.
According to one social media post, the boy was weary after a long drive to the airport, but became quiet with some patient handling by his parents. But when the time came to board the flight, the IndiGo employee allegedly said the teenager wouldn’t be allowed as his behaviour towards co-passengers could be threatening.
