A drunk South African lawmaker got so drunk he tried opening the aircraft's emergency door while flying on a plane to india. He may face criminal charges for his deeds, his party said.

Dirk Feldman, one among the group of parliamentarians who were to reach Mumbai, was inebriated and tried to open the emergency door of the plane putting at risk the lives of several co-passengers.

Feldman, a National Council of Provinces MP with the opposition Congress of the People (Cope) party, had been detained by the Indian security authorities in Mumbai until arrangements for him to return back to South Africa were made by Speaker of the Parliament Max Sisulu.

Apart from the disciplinary investigations, which have already been begun by the parliament and Cope,  Dirk Feldman is also accountable for very serious offences as he interrupted the duties of the staff on the plane.

Cope leader Mosiuoa Lekota affirmed they would have to act against Mr Feldman. He said that it is an issue of grave concern because he is a Member of Parliament who should have known better. He added that Feldman could be charged criminally for interfering with the duties of flight attendants, disrupted the work and put the lives of several passengers at stake.

The parliamentary delegation was on their way to India to understand and share experiences of Parliamentary activities

(AW - Anil)