Wells Fargo executive fired after Air India urination allegation

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Indian police arrested a senior executive of a US-based banking firm on Saturday in connection with an episode in late November in which the executive allegedly urinated on another passenger on an Air India flight from New York to New York. Delhi.

The executive, Shankar Mishra, who was recently fired from his position as vice president of the Indian subsidiary of Wells Fargo, faces charges under several Indian laws, including sexual harassment, obscenity and insult to a woman’s modesty. He was taken into custody for 14 days, according to local media.

News of the episode, which became public after the airline filed a police complaint on Wednesday, sparked outrage on Indian social media. The delay between the event and the complaint also raised questions about how Air India handled the situation.

According to a victim impact statement, a 72-year-old woman whose name police have not released, Mr Mishra appeared drunk on the flight where it happened, in business class.

In a written complaint to the chairman of Air India on November 27, the day after the flight arrived in New Delhi, the victim demanded the immediate arrest of Mr Mishra upon landing. But against the will of the victims, the crew of the plane brought the passenger in front of them. He apologized and begged to be spared for the sake of his family.

In my already distraught state, I was further disoriented by being forced to confront and negotiate with the perpetrator of the horrific incident up close, she wrote in the statement to the Air Indias Chairman, which was included in the complaint filed by the airline.

That wasn’t the only issue she had with the airline’s handling of the case. She said airline staff refused to touch her urine-soaked shoes and bags, simply spraying them with disinfectant. They provided airline pajamas and socks to change into, she said, but initially refused her request for a different seat.

After the flight landed, Mr Mishra agreed to pay for the dry cleaning of the woman’s belongings, according to a statement released by his lawyers. They said a WhatsApp conversation between the two showed Mr Mishra had his clothes and bags cleaned on November 28 and delivered to him on November 30.

According to the statement, his remaining grievance was with the airline, not Mr. Mishra. It is unclear why Air India waited weeks to file a complaint with the police.

Police in New Delhi, where the complaint was lodged, said Mr Mishra’s home in Mumbai, India’s financial capital, was locked when officers arrived there on Friday as part of the affair. They said his relatives did not cooperate with investigators. Mr Mishra was found and arrested in the southern state of Karnataka on Saturday.

A representative for Air India declined to comment after saying the company was cooperating with law enforcement officials.

Late Friday, Wells Fargo said in a statement that the company holds its employees to the highest standards of professional and personal behavior and that the person involved in the matter had been terminated.

Also on Friday, India’s top aviation regulator issued a warning that airlines must strictly deal with unruly passengers and promptly file complaints with aviation authorities, and that non-compliance would result in enforcement action.

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