A Muslim passenger who was slapped during a mid-air incident on an IndiGo flight from Mumbai to Kolkata and subsequently went missing has been traced and recovered from Barpeta railway station in Assam, police said on Saturday.
Hussain Ahmed Majumdar, 32, a hotel worker originally from Assam’s Cachar district, had been the subject of a search operation after he failed to board his connecting flight to Silchar and could not be contacted by family.
The incident that led to his disappearance took place on Thursday aboard flight 6E-6152, where Majumdar, reportedly suffering from a panic attack, was being escorted by flight attendants to a more comfortable area.
During this process, another passenger, identified as Hafeez-ur-Rehman, slapped him — a moment that was captured on video and widely circulated on social media.
In the footage, Rehman can be seen striking Majumdar and later claiming he acted because the man was "disturbing" others on board.
Following the aircraft's arrival in Kolkata, Rehman was briefly detained by the police but was released after preliminary questioning. IndiGo has since imposed a travel ban on Rehman, citing passenger safety as a top priority.
"To discourage such unruly and irresponsible behaviour, the individual has been banned from travelling on any IndiGo flights," the airline said in a statement.
Majumdar, who was scheduled to continue his journey to Silchar, unexpectedly left the airport premises. When his family failed to contact him, his father, Abdul Manan, filed a police report. Investigators confirmed that Majumdar did not board any subsequent flights to Silchar on either Friday or Saturday.
His whereabouts remained unknown until authorities in Assam were alerted to the presence of a distressed man matching his description at Barpeta railway station. Police confirmed that the individual was indeed Hussain Ahmed Majumdar. He appeared disoriented and fatigued but was physically unharmed.
Majumdar is now being escorted back to his home in Cachar by local authorities, where he is expected to undergo medical and psychological evaluation.
The case has sparked concerns over passenger conduct aboard domestic flights and raised questions about the mental health protocols followed by airlines during emergencies.
While the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has yet to comment formally, civil society groups have urged authorities to conduct a thorough inquiry into the handling of the situation, both by the airline and fellow passengers.
