CRPF personnel arrested for smoking beedi on IndiGo's Kolkata-Bengaluru flight

A 37-year-old Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) head constable found himself in hot water on Sunday when he was apprehended for smoking a beedi in the restroom of a Kolkata-Bengaluru flight. The incident unfolded on IndiGo flight 6E-487, which had taken off from Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata at 9:30 pm on September 3.

Karunakaran J, the CRPF head constable deployed in Jharkhand, was reportedly on the flight for medical treatment due to his health issues. However, his actions led to a series of events that culminated in his arrest.

According to a complaint lodged by Puneeth BM, the duty manager of InterGlobe Aviation Ltd, with KIA police, the cabin crew onboard the flight became aware of an unusual burning smell originating from the lavatory. Suspecting that a passenger was smoking, they promptly investigated the matter. Karunakaran J was identified as the culprit, with beedi remnants flushed down the toilet. Additionally, a matchbox was discovered in his possession.


In response to this disruptive behaviour, the flight captain took immediate action, designating Karunakaran J as an unruly passenger. Upon landing at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru, he was handed over to security officials, who subsequently filed a police complaint.

The incident has resulted in a case being registered against Karunakaran J under IPC Section 336, which pertains to acts endangering the life or personal safety of others, in addition to violations of the Aircraft Rules.

Most countries banned smoking on flights by 2000, following a series of accidents.

In July 1973, a Boeing 707 aircraft from Rio de Janeiro to Paris crashed, killing 123 people. Later, it was revealed that a cigarette thrown into a bin in the aircraft’s lavatory started the fire, resulting in the crash. In 1982, an IIyushin-II passenger flight caught fire due to onboard smoking, in which 25 passengers were killed. The plane had to stop on the runway of Guangzhou airport for emergency evacuation.