Mumbai: “Dangal” actress Zaira Wasim, 17, has alleged she was molested mid-air by a middle-aged man, drawing strong reactions by women rights activists and politicians. The airline apologized and Mumbai Police, which registered an FIR, arrested the accused on Sunday.
The National Award winning Kashmiri actress complained about her ordeal on the flight on Saturday, claiming that a middle-aged man seated behind her moved his foot up and down her neck and back.
In a self-shot video for Instagram live chat, Zaira is also seen breaking down.
“I just landed, the whole irony of this that I yelled… and this is not done… this is not how you should be treated or made to feel. This is terrible.
“This is how they will take care of girls? No one will help us if we don’t decide to help ourselves and that is the worst thing,” she said, looking visibly disturbed.
Late on Sunday night, the Mumbai Police arrested the accused, identified as Vikas Sachdeva, 39. According to police, Sachedeva, a resident of Andheri, was earlier detained this afternoon and questioned before arrested for molestation and on other charges.
The Civil Aviation Ministry has sought a report on the incident while the National Commission for Women (NCW) as well as the Delhi and Maharashtra commisions for women urged the actress to approach police.
Vistara Airlines apologized to Zaira and said it was carrying out a detailed investigation.
“We will support Wasim in every way required and also if she decides to report this matter to the police… We apologize for what Wasim experienced and we have zero tolerance for such behaviour,” read a post on the Airlines’ official Twitter page.
Wrestler Babita Phogat tweeted a video in support of Zaira, who played the younger version of Geeta Phogat in “Dangal”.
“If someone is misbehaving with you, give a tight slap on their face. They will never dare to repeat their actions again. Zaira, you don’t need to be afraid of anyone and just be ‘dhaakad’ (bold) in real life as well.”