‘Zero tolerance policy,’ says Naveen Jindal after ex-company executive assaults passenger, shows ‘porn’ on flight

A social media user named Ananya Chhaochharia, who, according to her bio on ‘X’, is co-chair of the India Conference at Harvard, alleged that former executive of Jindal Steel sexually assaulted her while she was aboard an Abu Dhabi-bound flight from Kolkata.

She took to social media platform X on Friday to give her first account of the harrowing experience that left her “rattled and disturbed” after she boarded a UAE-bound flight from Kolkata. 

The post reads, “Sharing an incident that happened with me on the flight from Calcutta to Abu Dhabi (transit to Boston) [sic].”

She further thanked the Etihad Airlines staff and the Abu Dhabi police for their support, cooperation, and action during the incident.

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Ananya revealed that on the fateful day, she was seated next to a 65-year-old industrialist, an employee of Naveen Jindal’s Jindal Steel & Power Ltd (JSPL). Ananya Chhaochharia stated, “He must be roughly 65 in age & told me he now lives in Oman but travels frequently. ”

Subsequently, she says, the two started having a casual conversation. She said, “He started chatting me up… about our roots, family, etc.” He told her that he hailed from Churu in Rajasthan and has two married sons who have settled in the US.

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She said, “He asked if I enjoy watching movies & I was like, of course.” As the conversation progressed to hobbies, movies, likes, and dislikes, Ananya said the Jindal Steel official told her he had some movie clips on his phone. 

Her post on X stated, “He whips out his phone and earphones to show me PORN! He started groping me. I was frozen in shock and scare [sic].”

Detailing her account, she said, “I eventually ran off to the washroom and complained to the air staff. Thankfully, the Etihad team was very pro-active and took action immediately. They made me sit at their seating area and served me tea & fruits.”

She appealed to Naveen Jindal, MP and Chairman of Jindal Steel, to take necessary action “so that he is aware of the kind of people who are in leadership" positions.

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Naveen Jindal, chairman of Jindal Steel & Power Limited (JSPL), responded to Ananya's post and commented, “Dear Ananya, thank you for reaching out and speaking up! It takes a lot of courage to do what you did, and I want you to know that we have a zero-tolerance policy for such matters."

He further said he had asked a team to immediately investigate the matter and take the strictest and necessary action.