My Airport Ordeal: 'He Was Drunk...'

All the while, this guy kept staring at us. Non-stop.
After nearly half an hour, we seemed to be at a stalemate. Everything could be done pursuant to an official complaint. I didn't want to file one.

No drama. And hopefully a flight that left on time and landed on time.

That's all I hoping for as, on a Tuesday night, I waited at Mangalore airport.

The seats on either side of me in the waiting area near the gate were empty and I settled down with my book.

Within minutes, a man, balding, moustachioed, dressed in a white shirt and black pants, sat next to me (there were just three seats in the row).

He blew his nose into his fingers with a loud honking sound and flung the mucus into the aisle that separated one set of seats from the next.

It was, to be honest, nauseating.

Next, he began coughing and sneezing loudly before blowing his nose repeatedly -- thankfully, this time into a handkerchief.

Feeling a bit uncomfortable, I moved into the next set of seats.

And that, I thought, was that.

But the man was not done.

He made a call, on speaker. It was loud.

No drama, I told myself. It will end soon.

Only it didn't.

Yes, the call did end but was followed by something he was watching on his phone; the snippet of a song played loudly through the speaker.

I gestured, requesting him to use earphones and returned to my book.

The song blared again.

I turned to look; he was staring at me. He played it again, continuing to glare.

I walked upto him, requesting him to turn down the volume or use headphones.

That, apparently, was offensive.

He played the song. On repeat. And repeat. And repeat. Still staring mockingly.

This time I video recorded him. He turned to stare, raised his hand to hide his face, put his hand down and gave me a thumbs up.

He played the song snippet again. I recorded him again. This time it was repeated thumbs ups from his end.

Then, he moved to the empty seat next to me. Balancing his feet on his trolley bag. Leaning towards me. I could smell the alcohol on his breath.

Clearly, it had become an ego issue.

I called the Mangalore Airport manager -- the number was available online.

For more than 10 minutes, nothing happened. The man continued to play the song snippet and I was not sure what I should do next. Should I tweet? Maybe that would help. My co-travellers were watching; but no one said anything.

Then, I saw a tall slim lady in blue -- the airport manager -- accompanied by a senior member of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) that is responsible for security at Mangalore airport. Honestly, I hadN't expected a response.

I walked over to her.

"What happened, Ma'am?"

I explained. The mucus. The misbehaviour. The moving of the seats.

Apparently, he had misbehaved with the airline's ticketing staff as well.

They asked me file a complaint. That they would take him to the police station if I did.

More people arrived. Security staff. Airline personnel.

They were polite. Trying to helpful. But everything seemed to hinge on my filing a complaint. I wondered why I needed to when the misbehaviour was so blatant.

I made it clear I was feeling unsafe.

They asked if I would sit elsewhere. I wanted to know why I should change my seat when I was not in the wrong.

All the while, this guy kept staring at us. Non-stop.

After nearly half an hour, we seemed to be at a stalemate. Everything could be done pursuant to an official complaint. I didn't want to file one.

Finally, some of the security staff took him aside. They were joined by a senior member of the airline. They politely issued him a warning. He claimed innocence, wanted to know who filed a complaint and why. He had no idea what was wrong.

They asked him about the alcohol. He apparently told them he had had a few drinks in the afternoon. That explanation was accepted.

Looking at the stern-faced men, he agreed to move to another seat, a few rows away.

They went away and I returned to my seat, hoping the drama was over.

Not.

Within minutes of their leaving, he started walking up and down in front of me.

I continued to read my book.

He then moved to another seat, diagonally opposite, and continued to stare at me non-stop. Smirking.

It was annoying. I started to wonder if he was on my flight. It looked like he was.

I called the airport manager again. This time the response was quicker.

She was there soon and the security staff told me they had watched him on the security cameras.

I told them again that I was feeling unsafe and he should not be allowed to board if we were on the same flight.

Off-loading him did not seem to be an option.

I was not happy. What, I asked them, would happen if he misbehaved with me, or misbehaved in general on the flight? What if he misbehaved with me in Mumbai?

There was no clear answer but clearly what happened in Mumbai was not their responsibility though that was not spelled out.

They did, however, change his seat and move him to end of the aircraft.

Another passenger walked up, a young man. "He was deliberately misbehaving. Trying to provoke her. I was watching him."

"Ma'am, do you want to take another flight?" That would be the next day. This was the last flight out of Mangalore for the day. I didn't.

The airport manager waited with me till I boarded the flight. They alerted the cabin crew about the situation.

In Mumbai, something unusual happened. Without anyone saying anything, people deplaned row by row. I was out, and since I did not have to wait for any luggage, on my way home fairly quickly.

My phone pinged.

It was the Mangalore Airport manager checking that I had reached home safely. A sweet gesture.

Thanks, Asma Ara, I truly appreciate it.

But there are questions.

Why was an obviously drunk man not off-loaded? Why was he not tested for the alcohol level in his blood?

Why was this situation allowed to escalate?

Should there be enforceable rules about playing videos, music loudly on your phone in public places?

Have you faced similar situations where someone has tried to intimidate you in a public space?
Write in to us at getahead@rediff.co.in (Subject: Intimidation in public spaces) and share your experience.