Awful: Air India Pilot Physically Assaults Dad During Security Line Argument

An Air India Express captain has been accused of physically assaulting a man who was traveling with his family, after the two got into a disagreement at the airport security line. This is simply wild.

Delhi Airport security line disagreement gets physical

On Friday, December 19, 2025, a man named Ankit Dewan took to X to share the awful situation that unfolded while he went through security at Terminal 1 at Delhi International Airport. According to his version of events (and I’m copying and pasting here):

• “Me & my family were guided to use the security check that the staff uses (also the PRM check), because we had a 4 month old baby in a stroller.”
• “The staff was cutting the queue ahead of me. On calling them out, Capt. Virender, who himself was doing the same thing, asked me if I was anpadh (uneducated), and couldn’t read the signs that said this entry was for staff.”
• “A verbal scuffle broke out.”
• “Not able to excercise restraint, the AIX pilot proceeded to physically assault me, leaving me bloody. The blood in the photograph (first comment) on his shirt is also mine.”

The father claims that he was forced to write a letter stating that he will not pursue the matter further, but feels he had no choice — it was either write the letter or miss the flight and throw away his family holiday plans.

In this post, you can see just how bloodied the father was, and in this post, you can see just how bloodied the pilot’s shirt got, reportedly with the blood of the man he was beating up. The pilot responsible is a captain for Air India Express, but he was off duty at the time of the incident (so wasn’t in full uniform, as he was traveling as a passenger).

Air India Express released a statement regarding the incident, indicating that the employee has been removed from official duties, pending an investigation:

We profoundly regret this incident at Delhi Airport, involving one of our employees who was traveling as a passenger on another airline. We extend our heartfelt empathy for the distress it has caused, and strongly condemn such behaviour. The concerned employee has been removed from official duties with immediate effect, and appropriate action will be taken pending thorough investigation. While we refrain from public comments while due process is followed, please be assured this matter has our highest attention. We remain fully committed to provide due cooperation to law enforcement authorities to ensure a fair and thorough process.

Meanwhile the Ministry of Civil Aviation has indicated that it’s launching an investigation into what happened:

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has taken serious cognizance of the incident and directed the airline to ground the pilot with immediate effect. A formal enquiry has been ordered. Detailed reports have been sought from BCAS and CISF.

The traveler claims that senior executives at Air India Express reached out to him, saying the following:

I was contacted by @AirIndiaX by 2 AVPs from their headquarters. However, the only thing they wanted to convey was that what happened was the actions of an individual, and not what the company stands for, and that they will fully co-operate with the police.

My take on this shocking airport confrontation

Up until this confrontation got physical, I can see both sides. It sounds like at Delhi Airport, they sometimes combine airline staff and families into the same line. That seems like an odd system, since those are probably a combination of the slowest and fastest people to clear security.

So it sounds like the pilot tried to cut the family, which doesn’t necessarily surprise me, since it’s common for airport and airline staff to cut “regular” passengers in many places around the globe. Clearly the father wasn’t happy about that, and confronted him, and “a verbal scuffle broke out.”

Perhaps the father was even out of line by trying to argue with the pilot, and it sounds like the verbal disagreement wasn’t even one-sided.

However, to go from having a verbal disagreement to beating someone up to the point that your shirt is full of blood is a major, inexcusable escalation. And while I don’t think such violence is ever acceptable, it’s particularly unconscionable to do this in front of a family, with two small children. This captain doesn’t sound like someone who I’d want in charge in a stressful situation.

Bottom line

An Air India Express pilot has been suspended after being accused of physically assaulting a father in a security line at Delhi Airport. The family of four was reportedly directed into a security line that’s shared with employees, and the pilot cut them. The father confronted the pilot, and the two got into a verbal argument.

Up until that point, I don’t think either party is clearly in the right. However, the pilot then took it to the next level, and reportedly physically assaulted the father, to the point that there was blood all over the place. The pilot has now been suspended pending an investigation.

What do you make of this Delhi Airport security line disagreement?