SpiceJet and GoAir ban comedian Kunal Kamra from flying, join IndiGo and Air India

Following IndiGo and Air India, SpiceJet has now barred stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra from using its services.

The airline tweeted: "SpiceJet has decided to suspend Mr. Kunal Kamra from flying with the airline till further notice." (sic), and tagged the Ministry of Civil Aviation, DGCA India, Minister of State (MoS) for Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri and IndiGo's twitter accounts.

SpiceJet has decided to suspend Mr. Kunal Kamra from flying with the airline till further notice. @MoCA_GoI@DGCAIndia@HardeepSPuri@IndiGo6E

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— SpiceJet (@flyspicejet) January 29, 2020

GoAir has suspended Mr. Kunal Kamra from flying with the airline till further notice @MoCA_GoI @DGCAIndia @HardeepSPuri @IndiGo6E

— GoAir (@goairlinesindia) January 29, 2020

The move comes hours after IndiGo suspended Kamra from flying in its aircraft for the next six months after he had accosted journalist and Republic TV founder Arnab Goswami on an IndiGo flight.

After IndiGo had announced its decision to suspend Kamra from using its flight services, Puri, put out a tweet where he advised other airlines to "impose similar restrictions on the person concerned".

"Offensive behaviour designed to provoke create disturbance inside aircraft is absolutely unacceptable and endangers the safety of air travellers. We're left with no option but to advise other airlines to impose similar restrictions on the person concerned," Puri said in a tweet.

IndiGo has said in the tweet that Kamra's conduct onboard was "unacceptable behaviour".

@MoCA_GoI @HardeepSPuri In light of the recent incident on board 6E 5317 from Mumbai to Lucknow, we wish to inform that we are suspending Mr. Kunal Kamra from flying with IndiGo for a period of six months, as his conduct onboard was unacceptable behaviour. 1/2

— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) January 28, 2020

State-owned carrier Air India has also suspended Kamra from its flights "until further notice".

#FlyAI: In view of the incident onboard @IndiGo6E, Air India wishes to inform that conduct of Person concerned is unacceptable.With a view to discourage such behavior onboard flts, Mr Kunal Kamra is suspended from flying on any Air India flt until further notice. @HardeepSPuri .

— Air India (@airindiain) January 28, 2020

"In the view of the incident onboard IndiGo, Air India wishes to inform that conduct of Person concerned is unacceptable. With a view to discourage such behavior onboard flts, Mr Kunal Kamra is suspended from flying on any Air India flt until further notice," the airlines said in a tweet.

On his part, Kamra in a tweet issued a statement saying he gave Goswami a "monologue" on his opinion on Goswami's journalism.

*My Statement* pic.twitter.com/cxFcSCq0Jf

— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) January 28, 2020

"I did exactly what Republic TV journalists do to people in their private/public spaces and I don’t regret it. I’m not sorry for it. I don’t think I did anything wrong/criminal. Don’t let this be about my bravado. I do apologise to every passenger except one," Kamra said in his statement, adding that he did it for "Rohit", referring to Rohith Vemula, a Dalit  PhD scholar whose suicide in 2015 sparked nation-wide agitations.