K M Basheer. Photo: FacebookA recent video posted by a Keralite of a stewardess sleeping during a flight has triggered severe criticism for "insulting" a woman in public and intruding into her privacy.
K.M. Basheer, president of Malabar Development Forum, posted the video on Facebook last month since no action was taken by the authorities even after filing a complaint. The incident happened on 27 March in a Kozhikode-bound Air India flight and the copy of the complaint was also posted on Facebook along with the video.
According to reports, Kerala police has registered a case against Basheer after the stewardess filed a complaint for filming her without her permission.
Basheer claimed on Facebook that stewardesses are not allowed to sleep while on duty as their main responsibility is to be vigilant throughout the journey. After the widespread criticism, he again took to Facebook claiming that his intention for publicizing the issue on social media was to invite the attention of the airline to an issue “where the safety of the traveling public has been compromised." He also claimed that he has seen similar incidents on many occasions and his intention was not to victimize the individual but to improve the system.
“I patiently waited for 5 months thinking that Air India would take some action regarding this issue. Finally, as a responsible citizen of India, I decided to share the matter with the public on social media," he said on his Facebook post. But he has deleted the video now.
Basheer has made a long Facebook post on the duties and responsibilities of a cabin crew.
Though the video was shared by many, most of the comments were against Basheer for publishing the video without even blurring the stewardess' face.
