A SpiceJet employee, who allegedly slapped an Assistant Sub-Inspector of Central Industrial Security Force at Jaipur Airport on Thursday, claimed that she acted in retaliation for sexual harassment.
The staff member told ANI on Saturday, “I report for duty at the same time. Like every day, at 4:30 am on July 11, I was doing my work when ASI Giriraj Prasad came and said, ‘Give us a chance to take care of you’. Then, when I asked him to call a lady constable for frisking. He again said, ‘How much money will you charge for a night?’.”
She continued, “He said, ‘Listen to me, you’ll feel better. Your work will get done quickly.’ I told him that I would file a police complaint against you to which he said, ‘You can’t do anything to me. I have seen a lot of women like you, I’ll get you fired. Tumhare jaisi bazaaru aurat maine bohot dekhi hai, tumhey naukri se nikalwa dunga.
The incident of the SpiceJet woman employee slapping ASI Giriraj Prasad after a verbal spat was captured in a viral video.
#WATCH | Jaipur, Rajasthan: A SpiceJet employee seen hitting security personnel in a viral video alleges that "At 4:30 am on 11th July, I was doing my work when ASI Giriraj Prasad said 'humey bhi apna seva-paani ka mauka do', 'ek raat rukne ka kya logi'…I told him that I would… https://t.co/6pYzPauFxh pic.twitter.com/A2Gbal1R2p
— ANI (@ANI) July 13, 2024
The SpiceJet employee was arrested based on the complaint by ASI Prasad, wherein he mentioned that she had slapped him during an argument at the airport over security frisking.
Replying to the complaint filed by ASI Prasad, she said, “He filed a complaint against me before I did. I have not complained anywhere else except to the police.”
SpiceJet released a statement: “Today, an unfortunate incident happened at Jaipur Airport involving a SpiceJet female security staff member and a CISF male personnel. While escorting a catering vehicle at the steel gate, our female security staff member, who had a valid airport entry pass issued by the BCAS, made a complaint of inappropriate and unacceptable language used by the CISF personnel against her and further asking her to come and meet him after his duty hours at his home. SpiceJet is taking immediate legal action in this serious case of sexual harassment against its female employee and has approached the local police. We are entirely with our employee and committed to giving her full support in this matter.”.
The lady, who has spent the last five years with SpiceJet, said she was aware of all the security protocols.
He complained that the SpiceJet crew member reached the airport at 4 am when he was on duty. He alleged that she wanted to enter the airport without a security check and that on being stopped, refused screening saying there was no female staff. He claimed he then called up the airport control to seek female staff. He said that the crew member became angry, argued with him and slapped him before a female staff member arrived.
Their statement that I was forcing to go inside and that I did not have a valid card is wrong. We meet CISF staff every day but normally, we coordinate with the female staff. We do not even talk to the male staff on a daily basis. There is a female staff member there in the morning every day, but at night there are no female staff members. It happens every day that we take the catering van, give them the slip, and go towards the departure hall. Never is any female staff there,” hit back the SpiceJet employee.
Early this morning, Advocate Deepak Chouhan, who is representing the SpiceJet employee, told ANI, “The SpiceJet employee has been arrested. It was the CISF ASI at Jaipur Airport who sexually harassed her. Abusive words were used against her, which caused her to lose her cool and slap the CISF officer. This was her natural response to that incident. We mentioned in the FIR in court that the woman had never shown such behavior in the past. Had this been her usual behavior, such incidents would have come to light earlier. However, this is a matter of investigation.”