India's Pasanan Holds Wedding In The Air During Lockdown, Indian Authorities Conduct Investigation

The wedding of Rakesh and Dakshina. (Twitter/@DonthuRamesh)

JAKARTA - There's nothing wrong with this Indian bride and groom. In the midst of the second wave of covid-19 that hit India, as well as the death toll that reached 300 thousand. This bride even held a wedding party with hundreds of guests attended.

Intending to hold a wedding party in the midst of the second wave of COVID-19 in India and the implementation of strict restrictions (lockdown), this couple from Madurai, Tamil Nadu State held a wedding party in the air, by renting a commercial plane.

Visiting The National News Tuesday, May 25, the couple rented all flight seats to Bangalore on a Boeing 737 to host a wedding party attended by 160 guests.

The party later drew criticism and put it facing an investigation. Tamil Nadu is under a severe wave of coronavirus and has restricted gatherings, including weddings for 50 people.

The couple, identified as Rakesh and Dakshina, held weddings and performed Hindu rituals as planes flew over the revered Meenakshi Shrine on its two-hour flight.

Videos on social media showed the couple in their wedding dress-up posing for the camera, as a number of unmasked relatives jostled in the aisles of the plane.

SpiceJet Airlines, the airline whose fleet is used in the flight, said its staff had issued a warning regarding the event, regarding the obligation of domestic flights to wear masks and the application of social distances during the flight.

Illustration of SpiceJet's fleet. (Wikimedia Commons/Ramón)

The video prompted India's aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, to launch an investigation and suspend the flight crew to complete all necessary stages of the process.

"The Directorate General of Air Transportation has begun an investigation into the marriage in the air. They have requested a full report from the airline and the Airport Authority," authorities said.

The regulatory body also asked airlines to file complaints against people on board who did not follow COVID-19 rules. It is unclear whether the couple held further ceremonies upon their return.

Meanwhile, SpiceJet said the couple had booked a plane from Madurai to Bangalore in the neighbouring state of Karnataka through a travel agent, for a honeymoon after their wedding.

"Clients are clearly briefed on the COVID-19 guidelines that must be followed and denied permission for any activity to be undertaken on board," SpiceJet said.

For the record, the Government of India has tightened its aviation rules in recent years, to deal with unruly and disruptive passengers.

They will be included on the national no-fly list. Consequently, they will be subject to varying domestic flight bans, ranging from three months to two years.

Rakesh-Dakshina from Madurai, who rented a plane for two hours and got married in the wedding sky. Family members who flew from Madurai to Bangalore after getting married by SpiceJet flight from Bangalore to Madurai. #COVID19India #lockdown @TV9Telugu #weddingrestrictions pic.twitter.com/9nDyn3MM4n

— DONTHU RAMESH (@DonthuRamesh) May 23, 2021