After the appearance of a Sikh man and his three friends was found uneasy, a pilot kicked them off from the flight and for the same, he even filed a USD 9 million lawsuit against the airline.  

Reportedly, Shan Anand, a Sikh, along with three other US citizens - Faimul Alam besides a Bangladeshi Muslim and an Arab Muslim, were ordered off the flight 44718 from Toronto to New York, last month, based upon their perceived race, colour and ethnicity.

The Bangladeshi Muslim and Arab Muslim were identified only by their initials W.H. and M.K. Anand and Alam switched seats with strangers after boarding, so they could sit next to W.H. and M.K.

A few minutes later, a white woman flight attendant asked W.H. to get off the plane, according to the lawsuit, which was filed yesterday in Brooklyn Federal Court.

When they asked the reason behind making them kicking off from the plane, the flight attendant told them to exit ‘peacefully’ and ‘demanded’ they return to the gate and await further directions, the lawsuit said.

“It basically made me feel like a criminal," W.H. said, adding: "It was like I was put on a pedestal where everyone is pointing at you. I was frightened that they were frightened.”

The report stated that, after the plane took off, it was then, the airline agent said, “They could not board because the crew members, and specifically the captain, felt uneasy and uncomfortable with their presence on the flight and as such, refused to fly unless they were removed from the flight.”

By Phani Ch