After panic attack and viral slap video onboard IndiGo flight, missing passenger found in Assam: What we know

Time of India

17 hours ago

Viral video triggers outrage
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A family in panic
Silence from airline and authorities
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Questions still unanswered
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A man from Assam who disappeared after suffering a panic attack during an IndiGo flight and being slapped by a fellow passenger has been found in Barpeta, Assam, a day later. The man, identified as 32-year-old Hossain Ahmed Mazumdar , had been missing for nearly 24 hours after failing to board his connecting flight from Kolkata to Silchar.According to The Indian Express, Mazumdar had landed in Kolkata but took a train instead of the scheduled flight. On Saturday, he was located at a railway station in Barpeta, about 400 kilometres from his hometown Katigorah. The officer in charge of the Katigorah police station confirmed, 'The individual arrived at Barpeta in Assam after the flight landed in Kolkata. He took the train to Barpeta and is now on his way to Silchar.'The incident first drew attention when a video surfaced online, showing Mazumdar visibly distressed on board IndiGo flight 6E-2387. The footage shows him being escorted to his seat by crew members when a fellow passenger, Hafijul Rahman, suddenly slapped him. One of the crew members can be heard trying to calm the situation, while another passenger intervenes and objects to the violence.Rahman later told authorities he acted because 'he was causing problems'. He was handed over to the police after landing in Kolkata but was released shortly after.Mazumdar's family were already at Silchar airport on Friday morning, expecting to receive him. But he never arrived. It was only later that they recognised him in the viral video.'He spoke to his wife and parents before taking the flight from Mumbai on Friday morning,' his uncle Joglu Mazumder told The Indian Express. 'His wife, brother and aunt went to the Silchar airport to pick him up, and saw, in the meantime, the viral video. They asked the airport authorities where he was, but they didn't know. Since then, they had been trying to call him. His phone was ringing, but he was not answering. So we have informed the Katigorah police station.'The airline issued a statement on social media but has remained silent on Mazumdar's condition following the mid-air incident.IndiGo said on X, '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 Standard Operating Procedures. The individual involved was identified as unruly and handed over to the security authorities upon arrival. All appropriate regulatory agencies have been duly informed, in line with protocol.'The airline did not clarify whether Mazumdar received any support, protection or medical attention after the altercation.His father, Abdul Mannan Mazumdar, who is undergoing treatment for cancer, was left deeply distressed. 'He was working hard in Mumbai to support us and was returning home. I saw the video this morning and now I don't know where my son is,' he told reporters on Friday.Mazumdar, who has previously travelled the same route, worked in Mumbai at a gym and a hotel. He was flying home to Katigorah in Assam's Cachar district to visit his ailing father. His initial flight from Mumbai to Kolkata was completed, but he never boarded the onward flight to Silchar.Police officials in Cachar confirmed both Mazumdar and his assaulter were allowed to leave Kolkata airport after a CISF-mediated meeting. Senior Superintendent of Police Numal Mahatta told The Indian Express they were in touch with Kolkata police and confirmed the details. 'He was supposed to board a Kolkata-Silchar flight the next morning, but he missed it,' a police source said, adding that Mazumdar did not take any other flight that day.The family had also contacted the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and filed a missing person complaint at Udharbond police station near Silchar airport. Still, there was no concrete information from the airline or authorities until Saturday evening.The incident has prompted wider questions on passenger safety, especially how airlines respond to mental health episodes onboard. Should crew members be trained to identify and respond to such situations better? What steps should airlines take once a visibly distressed passenger is handed over?Zubairul Islam Mazumdar, another relative, voiced the family's frustration: 'When we didn't find him on the Silchar flight, we contacted the local authorities and even went to Udharband police station near the Silchar airport. But we received no concrete information about his whereabouts.'For now, the immediate crisis appears to be over. Mazumdar has been located and is returning home. But the lack of coordination, the silence on his care, and the manner in which the incident unfolded mid-air raise difficult, lingering questions.