Pregnant woman from Bhatkal shares harrowing experience on delayed Air India Express flight
Mangaluru bound Air India Express flight was delayed for over 24 hours at Dammam Airport
Bhatkal: Bibi Sara, a pregnant woman from Bhatkal, has made serious allegations against an airline regarding mistreatment during a prolonged flight delay by Air India Express on March 6. Sara's claims have rapidly circulated on social media platforms, drawing attention to her experience at Dammam International Airport.
The incident occurred amidst a 24-hour delay of an Air India Express flight bound for Mangaluru. Despite presenting a medical certificate detailing complications from previous pregnancies, Sara alleged that airline staff ignored her needs.
Bibi Sara, who was scheduled to board Air India Express flight no: IX886 from King Fahad International Airport Damam at 10:20 pm (KSA timing) destined for Mangalore Airport, shared her ordeal through a viral message. According to Sara, the flight faced extensive delays due to an emergency landing in Mumbai. Despite her husband being present at the airport, the flight was initially rescheduled for 2:00 am, but eventually, it was canceled for the night and rescheduled for the following morning at 11:25 am on March 7th.
Sara, who is pregnant and was advised by her doctor to travel early due to previous pregnancy complications, faced challenges during the ordeal, especially with walking long distances. She mentioned that despite requesting wheelchair assistance, she experienced further delays and mistreatment. Despite patiently waiting, the flight was delayed multiple times, adding to the frustration of the passengers.
Upon reaching near the boarding gate after completing the check-in process, the displayed flight timing was 11:00 am, but it was later announced that further delays were due to technical issues. Eventually, at 2:40 pm, passengers were escorted to the airport bus for boarding, but Sara's wheelchair was taken away, and the bus remained stationary. Subsequently, at 3:20 pm, passengers were instructed to disembark due to another technical issue.
Expressing her exhaustion and frustration, Sara mentioned seeking solace in reciting a comforting verse. She emphasized feeling mistreated and expressed disappointment at the lack of proper assistance, stating that the repeated setbacks tested the patience of passengers immensely.
In her message, Sara recounted her efforts to address the situation by gathering fellow passengers to voice their concerns. She mentioned that passengers reached out to higher authorities and describes instances where she was asked to speak to airport management and the airline manager. Sara expresses frustration as these attempts to communicate were met with unresponsiveness, with one call abruptly ended while she was speaking.
She highlights the diverse group of passengers, including pregnant women, infants, toddlers, and elderly individuals, who endured the delay without proper meals or accommodations. Sara emphasizes the lack of assistance from the airline, citing the absence of hotel accommodations, food provisions, or clear communication about the departure time. Despite some last-minute efforts to provide a meager lunch box and water bottles, Sara criticizes the airline for failing to take responsibility or apologize for the inconvenience caused.
Sara questioned why Air India Express fails to provide passengers with the necessary facilities during flight delays, unlike other airlines. She expressed frustration at the suffering passengers endure when traveling with Air India Express, echoing sentiments she has heard about it being the "worst flight ever," sentiments she now shares after experiencing it firsthand.
She emphasized the plight of mothers traveling with young children, highlighting the frustration and exhaustion they must endure. Sara reflected on her own situation as the only passenger from her hometown, Bhatkal, with her family already en route to Mangalore Airport to pick her up. Despite boarding, the flight's timing kept changing, leaving her unsure whether to tell her family to return home and come back again. She lamented the distress and exhaustion her families and others must have experienced while awaiting her arrival.
Sara described how her families' excitement to welcome her turned into disappointment, characterizing the situation as mental torture inflicted not only on passengers but also on their families.
In her message, Sara recounts the toll the prolonged flight delay took on her health, resulting in severe stomach cramps and fear for her unborn child's safety. She expresses frustration at the lack of accountability for the potential consequences of the stressful journey.
Despite the ordeal, Sara expressed gratitude for the care she received from an air hostess who provided her with assistance and comfort. She also acknowledged the kindness of fellow passengers, particularly Haider Shareef from Mangalore and a woman from Kasarkod, who offered support and assistance during the flight.
Sara extended heartfelt thanks to all those who showed compassion and support during the difficult journey.
Sara emphasized that her intention in sharing her experience is not to seek fame but to raise awareness and prevent other pregnant women and passengers from enduring similar hardships in the future. She requested that the higher authorities and management members of Air India Express take better care of passengers during flight delays and ensure that basic needs are provided.
Still deeply affected by the incident, Sara expresses gratitude to Allah for their safe landing despite the challenges they faced during the flight. Sara's family is also demanding compensation from the airline for the traumatic experience she endured during the prolonged flight delay.
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NEET-UG: 2 more held, role of several NTA officers under scanner; CBI focussing on source of leak
New Delhi (PTI): The CBI has arrested two more persons in connection with the NEET (UG) paper-leak case, with the role of several officers of the National Testing Agency (NTA) and other organisations, who had access to the printing press where the papers were printed, coming under the scanner, officials said on Thursday.
The agency has arrested Dhananjay Lokhanda from Ahilyanagar and Manisha Waghmare from Pune and conducted searches at 14 locations across the country in the last 24 hours, they said.
The CBI is focussing on identifying the source of the leak that has caused massive disappointment to lakhs of aspirants eyeing a seat in undergraduate medical courses, which are allotted after the highly-competitive examination, the officials said.
According to the CBI probe so far, the involvement of public servants in the leak cannot be ruled out.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested three individuals from Jaipur -- Mangilal Biwal, Vikas Biwal and Dinesh Biwal -- along with Yash Yadav from Gurugram and Shubham Khairnar from Nashik.
Khairnar was in touch with Yadav and informed him in April that Mangilal Biwal was ready to pay Rs 10-12 lakh for arranging leaked NEET (UG) 2026 questions for his younger son.
Khairnar allegedly provided 500 to 600 questions from the leaked paper to Yadav, the officials said, adding that the questions could have helped score enough marks to get a seat in a reputed medical college.
Mangilal Biwal allegedly procured the paper from Yadav, who was known to his elder son Vikas Biwal from an NEET coaching in Rajasthan's Sikar. The deal between Mangilal Biwal and Yadav was for Rs 10 lakh, if 150 questions from the question bank matched with those in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) paper, the officials said.
Mangilal Biwal shared the paper with his son and further distributed it among relatives.
Yadav also told Vikas Biwal to find additional candidates for the questions to recover some of the money that he had spent on getting those, the officials said.
An analysis of digital devices has given the agency incriminating chats, leaked question papers and other digital evidence. The CBI will subject the devices to a forensic examination to get the deleted data, the officials said.
The federal agency has registered an FIR and formed teams to probe the alleged NEET (UG) paper leak that resulted in the cancellation of the exam held on May 3.
The NEET (UG) 2026 was conducted across 551 Indian cities and at 14 overseas centres. Nearly 23 lakh candidates had registered for the test, which was administered by the NTA at centres across the country.
According to the NTA, information regarding alleged malpractice was received on the evening of May 7, four days after the examination was held. The NTA said the inputs were escalated to central agencies the following morning for "independent verification and necessary action".
The Rajasthan Police's Special Operations Group (SOG) has claimed that a "guess paper" for chemistry, allegedly circulated among students ahead of the examination, had approximately 410 questions, including roughly 120 that appeared in the test.
