Amritsar: A Singapore flight took off hours ahead of schedule, while 35 passengers were left behind at the Amritsar airport.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered that the incident be investigated, reports NDTV.
The aviation regulatory authority initiated the investigation after a Scoot Airline flight, which was scheduled to leave at 7:55 pm on Wednesday, took off at 3 pm. This gave rise to chaos at the airport, with angry passengers protesting against being left behind. They also complained about the matter to the authorities concerned.
When the airport authorities contacted the airline officials, they were told that the passengers had been informed e-mail regarding the change in flight time. "Around 280 passengers were to travel to Singapore but 253 passengers were rescheduled, leaving over 30 passengers behind," Amritsar airport director told ANI.
The DGCA has, however, asked the Scoot Airline, a Singaporean airline that is a subsidiary owned by Singapore Airlines, as well as the Amritsar Airport authorities to provide details on the matter. The airline has said that all the passengers were informed by email about the change in timing in flight.
In addition, an official of the Amritsar airport told ANI that the travel agent who booked the tickets for 30 people in a group had failed to inform the passengers about the flight timing changes. As a result, the airline flew with only the passengers who had reported in accordance with the new flight timing.
A similar incident was reported from Bengaluru recently, where a Go First flight to Delhi took off leaving behind 55 passengers, who were on their way to the airport and were reportedly accommodated on another flight four hours later.
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Lucknow (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh Congress on Wednesday staged a statewide protest demanding a fair and transparent inquiry into the FIR lodged against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and those who filed the complaint against him.
In a statement issued here, the party said memorandums addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi were submitted through district magistrates in all districts of the state.
Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Manish Hindvi told PTI that the memorandums were handed over through the district administration in all 75 districts.
In the memorandum, the party alleged that Saraswati and his disciples were "unnecessarily harassed and humiliated" by police on the occasion of Amavasya and were prevented from taking a ritual bath (at the Magh Mela). It further alleged that some disciples were manhandled and taken to a police station.
The memorandum also claimed that an FIR was later registered against Saraswati, his disciple Swami Mukundanand Brahmachari and several unidentified persons in a sexual harassment case. It termed the case a "conspiracy" aimed at tarnishing the seer's reputation.
Citing Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution, the memorandum stated that these provisions guarantee religious freedom and the right of religious denominations to manage their own affairs.
It described the position of shankaracharya held by Saraswati as "one of the highest spiritual posts in Sanatan tradition" and alleged that the entire episode appeared to have been "orchestrated in a planned manner".
"We request that the background of the persons who got the FIR registered be investigated in a transparent manner by a retired high court judge and strict action be taken against them," the memorandum said.
It also sought a "fair and transparent probe" into the allegations levelled against Saraswati so that the truth could be established.
Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai had told reporters in Varanasi after meeting Saraswati that the party stood firmly with him.
The Congress said it would continue to press for an impartial inquiry into the entire episode.
On February 21, an FIR was lodged in Prayagraj against Saraswati and his disciple Mukundanand Brahmachari on charges of sexually abusing two persons, including a minor, over the past year at a gurukul and religious congregations, including the recently concluded Magh Mela.
Days after he was booked, Saraswati had said on Monday that he would not oppose his arrest and asserted that the "fabricated story" would be exposed sooner or later.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Saraswati alleged that criminals rule in Uttar Pradesh, level allegations and influence investigations, as he denied having any contact with the two persons for whose alleged sexual abuse he has been booked.
