On Friday (1st August), social media was rife with targeted disinformation about a Hindu man assaulting a fellow Muslim passenger onboard an Indigo flight.
The fake claims were peddled by prominent leftists and Islamist handles on X (formerly Twitter) to further the dubious narrative of โMuslim victimhood.โ
While some of them over-emphasised the โMuslim identityโ of the victim, others were quick to associate the perpetrator with terms such โHinduโ, โsanghiโ and other assorted euphemisms.
While peddling the โMuslim victimhoodโ narrative, leftists and Islamists alike conveniently omitted the fact that the perpetrator was also a Muslim.
The Facts of the Case
A passenger identified as Hossain Ahmed Mazumdar, who was travelling on a Kolkata-Mumbai flight, was slapped by a fellow passenger. The victim is from the Cachar district of Assam and has reportedly been missing since the incident.
Hossain had a panic attack on the flight, which delayed the takeoff. Miffed by the development, a fellow passenger named Hafijul Rahman assaulted the victim.
A video of the incident has now surfaced on social media. A fellow passenger was heard saying, โWhy did you slap him? You donโt have any right to hit anybody.โ Hossain was seen crying after this incident.
We are aware of an incident involving a physical altercation on board one of our flights. Such unruly behaviour is completely unacceptable and we strongly condemn any actions that compromise the safety and dignity of our passengers and crew.
Our crew acted in accordance withโฆ
โ IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) August 1, 2025
The perpetrator was deboarded in Kolkata and subsequently arrested by CISF. Indigo has issued a statement on this matter on Friday (1st August).
In a statement, the airline operator stated, โWe are aware of an incident involving a physical altercation on board one of our flights. Such unruly behaviour is completely unacceptable and we strongly condemn any actions that compromise the safety and dignity of our passengers and crew. Our crew acted in accordance with established Standard Operating Procedures.โ
โThe individual involved was identified as unruly and handed over to the security authorities upon arrival. All appropriate regulatory agencies have been duly informed, in line with protocol. We remain committed to maintaining a safe and respectful environment on all our flights,โ it added.
The narrative of Muslim victimhood vs reality
Soon after the video of the incident went viral, the usual suspects assumed that the perpetrator was a Hindu and began making doomsday predictions about Indiaโs secularism and future based on the isolated incident.
However, their vicious agenda was punctured by โThe Hinduโ journalist Jagriti Chandra who first pointed out that both the accused and the perpetrator belong to the same religious community.
The passenger who assaulted a co-passenger aboard IndiGo flight handed over to law enforcement agencies for unruly conduct. Incident after one passenger was feeling uncomfortable in the flight and wanted to de board.
Both belong to the same religious community.
Incident onโฆ https://t.co/f0QPXG5hxGโ Jagriti Chandra (@jagritichandra) August 1, 2025
She cited Indigo as the source of her information.
Airline source
โ Jagriti Chandra (@jagritichandra) August 2, 2025
Later, other journalists reported the name of the perpetrator as Hafijul Rahaman.
#indigoflight update: #Indigo files complaint in #Kolkata with NSCBI Police Station, Biddhannagar Commissionerate & hands over the unruly passenger to police who slapped fellow passenger on the Indigo Mumbai-Kolkata flight.
The said passenger identified as Hafijul Rahamanโฆ pic.twitter.com/ccqxsgxzmC
โ Pooja Mehta (@pooja_news) August 1, 2025
The passenger who assaulted a co-passenger aboard Mumbai-Kolkata IndiGo flight handed over to NSCBI PS. His name is Hafijul Rahaman. Sources in Police say, he is being detained and case will be registered under relevant sections as per the complaint. pic.twitter.com/jEtiJ0Xs3W
โ Piyali Mitra (@Plchakraborty) August 1, 2025
Once it was ascertained that the culprit is a Muslim, leftists and Islamists dropped the case and moved on to other issues to discover a new story of victimhood.
