New Delhi, Mar 22: The government will sell up to 3.5 per cent stake in Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) at a floor price of Rs 2,450 a share, if fully subscribed, would fetch about Rs 2,800 crore to the exchequer.

The two-day Offer For Sale (OFS) will open for institutional investors on Thursday and for retail buyers on Friday.

The OFS comprises of base issue size of 1.75 per cent or 58.51 lakh shares, with an option to retain over-subscription of an equal quantum.

"In the event the oversubscription option is exercised, the equity shares forming part of the base offer size and the oversubscription option will represent 3.50 per cent (1,17,03,563) equity shares of the company," HAL said in a regulatory filing.

At the floor price of Rs 2,450 apiece, the sale of 3.5 per cent stake would fetch about Rs 2,800 crore to the exchequer.

The floor price is at a discount of around 6.7 per cent over the closing share price of HAL on the BSE.

Shares of HAL closed 0.93 per cent down at Rs 2,625.20 each on the BSE.

The government currently holds 75.15 per cent in HAL, which is a Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSE) under the Defence Ministry.

The proceeds from HAL OFS would add up to the government's disinvestment kitty for the current fiscal.

The government has so far mopped up Rs 31,106.64 crore from disinvestment and share buyback in CPSEs.

The government had last month pegged a lower revised estimates of disinvestment revenue estimates for the current fiscal at Rs 50,000 crore, against the budget target of Rs 65,000 crore.

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Mumbai/Kolkata/Silchar: A shocking incident aboard IndiGo flight 6E138 from Mumbai to Kolkata has gone viral, sparking outrage after a video emerged showing a man being slapped mid-flight while reportedly suffering a panic attack. The victim, identified as Hossain Ahmed Mazumdar from Assam, has since gone missing, and his family is seeking urgent answers.

The video, widely circulated on social media, shows Hossain in visible distress, attempting to leave his seat and reportedly requesting to deboard. As flight attendants tried to calm him down, another passenger suddenly approached and slapped him. The incident triggered immediate protest from fellow travellers.


Hossain, a gym trainer based in Mumbai, was en route to his hometown Katigorah in Cachar district via a connecting flight from Kolkata to Silchar. However, he never boarded the Silchar flight, and his mobile phone remains unreachable. His family, who had gathered at the Silchar airport, are now in distress. Zubairul Islam Mazumdar, a relative, said, “We have no idea where he is. We’ve contacted the police and airport authorities but haven’t received any concrete information.” His father, Abdul Mannan Mazumdar, who is undergoing cancer treatment, said tearfully, “He was our only hope. Now we don’t even know if he’s safe.” In a statement issued on August 1, IndiGo Airlines said: “We are aware of an incident involving a physical altercation on board one of our flights. Such unruly behaviour is completely unacceptable, and we strongly condemn any actions that compromise the safety and dignity of our passengers and crew. Our crew acted in accordance with established procedures. The individual identified as unruly was handed over to the security authorities upon arrival. Regulatory agencies have been informed as per protocol.”

However, the airline's statement has been criticised for failing to clarify what happened to Hossain after the incident, whether he received medical help, was detained, or was allowed to continue his journey.

The video triggered widespread anger on social media, with many users interpreting the slap as a possible hate-driven act. However, aviation journalist Jagriti Chandra of The Hindu offered a clarification on X, stating: “The passenger who assaulted a co-passenger aboard IndiGo flight was handed over to law enforcement agencies for unruly conduct. Incident occurred after one passenger was feeling uncomfortable in the flight and wanted to deboard. Both belong to the same religious community.”

Despite this clarification, concerns remain about the airline's handling of a visibly distressed passenger, particularly in the context of mental health. Unverified posts circulating on social media claim that Hossain was later found, though there has been no official confirmation from authorities or the airline.