A day after Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has said that BJP MP Tejasvi Surya has apologised for opening the emergency door of an IndiGo flight and that he did it by mistake, Tamil Nadu BJP President Annamalai, who travelled with Surya in the same flight, has now staged a different story that Surya didn't open the emergency door. 

Annamalai's statement has come when a few passengers who were on board divulged that Surya opened the emergency door that caused a delay of two hours. Annamalai's statement has also gone against the remarks of the Union Aviation Minister, who admitted that Surya opened the door, though he didn't mention the BJP MP's name.  

Speaking to the reporters in Chikmagalur, Karnataka, Annamalai said, "BJP MP Tejasvi Surya didn't open the emergency exit of the flight. He held his hands on the door and as the door wasn't properly closed, he took it to the notice of the crew members. Then, the crew members noticed it and it was Surya's duty. He didn't open the door at any way." It was the first time that Annamalai has spoken about the incident and his remarks have come after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has launched a probe into the matter. 

On December 10, 2022, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya and Tamil Nadu BJP President Annamalai had travelled from Chennai to Trichy in an IndiGo flight, 6E 7339. Surya was seated next to the emergency exit and when the crew was briefing about the safety measures ahead of the takeoff, Surya had reportedly opened the emergency exit door. As the emergency door was opened, the flight was taxiied and docked back to where it was pulled off and the authorities carried out the protocols, which made a delay of two hours. 

After two hours of safety check, Surya travelled in the same flight but in a different seat. The incident came to light on December 29, 2022, when Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister Senthil Balaji tweeted about it. It was reported that Surya had issued an letter of apology to the authorities after which he was allowed to fly in the same aircraft. While the precedents of such incidents had brought the responsible person under legal investigation before, the lack of action on BJP MP Surya and IndiGo's denial to mention his name had sparked a row with several co-passengers who traveled with Surya expressed their displeasure on his act. 

Over a month after the incident, the DGCA has on Tuesday launched a probe into the matter and the next day, Union Aviation Minister Scindia came in support of Tejasvi Surya. Scindia said, "When the incident happened, Tejasvi Surya himself reported it to the pilot and crew. Full protocol was followed as the DGCA has investigated. Only after all checks, the aircraft took off. He (Surya) himself apologised for the delay caused due to the incident." 

"The door was opened by him by mistake when the flight was on the ground. He has apologised", Scindia added. While Surya and his office yet to react to the allegations, the IndiGo Airlines issued a statement on Tuesday without mentioning Surya's name. IndiGo said a passenger travelling on flight 6E 7339 from Chennai to Tiruchirapalli on December 10, 2022, accidentally opened the emergency exit during the boarding process.

"The passenger immediately apologised for the action. As per SOPs, the incident was logged and the aircraft underwent mandatory engineering checks, which led to a delay in the flight's departure", the airline added. Around 70 people were on board and after the incident, all the passengers including those who was using wheelchairs, were put in a bus until the completion of engineering checks.