A man who went missing after being slapped mid-flight during a panic attack was found days later at a railway station in Assam’s Barpeta nearly 800 km from Kolkata and 400 km from his intended destination, Silchar.
Hussain Ahmed Majumdar, 32, from Assam’s Cachar district, had boarded IndiGo flight 6E-138 from Mumbai to Kolkata on Thursday. He was scheduled to take another flight to Silchar the next day. However, the journey took a shocking turn when he suffered a panic attack mid-air and was slapped by a co-passenger.
According to reports, airhostesses were assisting Mr Majumdar and escorting him down the aisle when fellow passenger Hafijul Rahman assaulted him. The incident was captured on video. When confronted, Rahman claimed he slapped Mr Majumdar because he was “causing problems”.
After the flight landed in Kolkata, Mr Rahman was detained by airport police but later released. Mr Majumdar also left the airport premises, but never boarded his connecting flight to Silchar.
Muslim man was having a panic attack and crying, as it was his first time flying.
Cabin crew was helping him but a sanghi man slapped him just because he was wearing a skull cap.
This sanghi man should be barred from flying.pic.twitter.com/u6MHZy4QPh
— Dr Nimo Yadav 2.0 (@DrNimoYadav) August 1, 2025
Missing Complaint Filed, IndiGo Bans Attacker from Flying
Mr Majumdar, who works at a hotel in Mumbai and is familiar with the route, was expected to arrive in Silchar on Friday. His family, unaware of the mid-flight incident, waited for him at the airport. When they couldn’t reach him and saw the viral video, panic set in. His phone was switched off, prompting them to file a missing complaint.
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Investigations revealed that Mr Majumdar had neither taken the flight to Silchar on Friday nor left Kolkata airport on Saturday. Eventually, he was located at Barpeta railway station, appearing unwell. Authorities are now taking him home, police confirmed.
Meanwhile, IndiGo has banned Hafijul Rahman from flying on any of its aircraft. “The safety and well-being of our customers and crew remain our foremost priority. In line with our commitment to discourage such unruly behaviour onboard flights, the individual has been suspended from flying on any IndiGo flights, in accordance with regulatory provisions,” the airline said in a statement.
