Dangal actor Zaira Wasim molested on Delhi-Mumbai flight

MUMBAI: Actor Zaira Wasim alleged she was molested by a co-passenger on board a Delhi-Mumbai flight.

The "Dangal" actor narrated her ordeal on Instagram via live video.

Zaira said she was on an Air Vistara flight from Delhi to Mumbai when a co-passenger sitting behind her put up his feet on her armrest.

"So, I was in a flight travelling from Delhi to Mumbai and right behind me one middle-aged man who made my two-hour journey miserable. I tried to record it on the phone to understand it better because the cabin lights were dimmed, I failed to get it...

"The lights were dimmed, so it was even worse. It continued for another five to ten minutes, and then I was sure of it. He kept nudging my shoulder and continued to move his foot up and down my back and neck," she said in the video post. In the video, which she recorded immediately after deboarding the flight, Zaira broke down several times.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said she was appalled to hear about the molestation of Bollywood actress Zaira Wasim on board a Delhi-Mumbai flight by a co-passenger.

In a statement on Twitter, the airline Vistara said it would look into the complaint, and added that it had "zero tolerance for such behaviour".

The National Commission for Women (NCW), as well as the Delhi and Maharashtra commisions for women on Sunday, urged actress Zaira Wasim to file a police complaint. The NCW has stepped in to take action.

Its chairperson Rekha Singh told the media:"I just saw the video on Instagram and my heart goes out to her. I am genuinely horrified the way this incident happened."

A woman police officer was sent to the hotel in Mumbai where the actor is put up, to record her statement, a senior police official said.

"We are enquiring with the airport authorities and the airline concerned to establish the identity of the person," another police official said.

The aviation regulator DGCA has sought a report on the incident from the airline, sources said.