After Air India & IndiGo, SpiceJet also suspends Kunal Kamra from flying

SpiceJet and GoAir on Wednesday joined IndiGo and Air India to bar stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra from flying with them until further notice.

The action by the two low cost carriers came a day after Kamra heckled senior journalist Arnab Goswami onboard an IndiGo flight from Mumbai to Lucknow.

Tata Group airlines – Air Asia India and Air Vistara – were reviewing the matter and were expected to take action as per the due process.

An unfazed Kamra said the flying suspension was not “shocking” for him and that he was only exercising his right to free speech.

“Fact of the matter is that at no point was I disruptive and at no point did I not follow the orders of the cabin crew or the captain,” Kamra said on Twitter.

The comedian responded with sarcasm targeted at Prime Minister Narendra Modi wondering if there was a ban on walking too. “Modiji can I walk yaan uspe bhi baan hai (Modi ji can I walk or is there a ban on that too)”,” Kamra aid.

The stand-up comedian drew the ire of airliners after he posted a video of him confronting Goswami, the Editor of Republic TV, over his brand of journalism on a Mumbai-Lucknow flight on Tuesday.

Withing hours, IndiGo issued a statement barring him from flying with the airline for six months terming his conduct on board the flight as “unacceptable behaviour”.

Soon after, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Puri had “advised” other airliners to impose similar restrictions on the stand-up comedian. Air India followed suit and barred him from its flights until further notice.

However, Kamra dismissed the ban by Air India as “rubbish” claiming that he had flown on the national carrier on Wednesday from Lucknow to Mumbai.

Earlier, Kamra had also justified his actions saying he had given a “monologue” about what he felt about Goswami's journalism. He also said that he does not regret his behaviour.