Delhi airport assault: ‘Pilot was maniacal, dragged me across the floor,' says flyer after CCTV review

Medical investigation has revealed a fracture in the left nasal bone, he said

• CCTV shows Air India Express pilot assaulting Ankit Dewan at Delhi airport
• Dewan suffered a nasal bone fracture and possible concussion during the incident
• Air India Express grounded pilot, launched assault investigation

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Ankit Dewan, who alleged that he was assaulted by an off-duty Air India Express pilot at the Delhi airport, has viewed the CCTV footage of the incident that has clarified the sequence of events.

Taking to X after watching the CCTV footage, Dewan said that captain Virender Sejwal "started the physical assault" and was "absolutely maniacal" while doing it.

The incident took place on December 19 at Delhi airport’s terminal 1 during a security check.

“I probably had a concussion after the first blow in my head, because I do not remember the repeated blows later, and that I was dragged across the floor by Sejwal,” he wrote on X.

Medical investigation has revealed a fracture in the left nasal bone, he said.

"There were four to five CISF personnel there, unlike how I remembered. In fact, Sejwal (the accused pilot) was wanting to hit me two times before but was held back by CISF and onlookers. CISF was constantly calling for restraint. And when he finally started the assault, at least three CISF personnel quickly began trying to disengage him. One of them actually jumped over a table to immediately come to my aid. My heartfelt gratitude to all of them," Dewan wrote on X.

Following the assault allegations, Air India Express took the pilot off duty and initiated an inquiry ahead of possible disciplinary action. The airline said the employee was flying as a passenger on another carrier and was involved in an altercation with another passenger.

Countering the claim that the pilot was off duty, Dewan said the stripes on the pilot’s shirt became visible when he adjusted his sweater. “This talk of 'off-duty, passenger to passenger' cannot fly in the face of the facts. Even on the day of the incident, Sejwal and senior AIX officials told me, and the multiple agencies present there that he was to fly from Bangalore. Deadheading (crew positioning) counts as flight duty under @DGCAIndia rules, and @AirIndiaX cannot shirk that responsibility,” he said.

Yesterday the Police showed me the CCTV footage of the physical assault that happened with me on 19th Dec, 2025 at Terminal 1 of IGI Airport. Here are some new things that I realised, looking at the footage: 🔸 I probably had a concussion after the first blow in my head, because… pic.twitter.com/95e0wt7LHf

— Ankit Dewan (@ankitdewan) December 24, 2025

Earlier, Dewan had narrated the whole incident on X, where he claimed that after a "verbal scuffle" broke out, the pilot was "not able to exercise restraint."

"Me and my family were guided to use the security check that the staff uses (also the PRM check), because we had a 4 month old baby in a stroller. The staff was cutting the queue ahead of me. On calling them out, Capt. Virender, who himself was doing the same thing, asked me if I was anpadh (uneducated), and couldn't read the signs that said this entry was for staff," he posted on X.

"A verbal scuffle broke out. Not able to excercise restraint, the AIX pilot proceeded to physically assault me, leaving me bloody," he said.

However, captain Sejwal has claimed that the incident has been "unfairly projected as a pilot vs passenger dispute," whereas the airline pilot was travelling as a passenger, was not on flight duty, and the incident was not connected to his professional responsibilities.