Passenger arrested for smoking cigarette and not wearing mask on flight

After the case of a passenger named Brandon Straka who was recently deboarded for not complying with the American Airlines’ rules of wearing a mandatory mask on the flight, a new case has surfaced about a passenger named Balvir Singh, 60 who was arrested for smoking a cigarette and refusing to wear a mask on the flight. 

According to police, Balvir has become the first citizen of Canada to be arrested on the charge of smoking a cigarette and not wearing a mask. The crew had requested him to cover his mouth with the mask but all went in vain as he was again encountered with the cigarette in his hands. 

Cpl. Julie Courchaine of Manitoba’s Royal Canadian Mounted Police said, “They were advised this male had lit up a cigarette on board and was also not listening to any of the directions from the flight crew which included donning his personal safety mask as well.” 

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police also released information about his arrest on a Twitter thread that read, “On June 14, a flight from Vancouver to Toronto was diverted to Wpg due to an unruly passenger.  The male lit a cigarette & refused to wear his face mask. Balvir Singh has been charged with Mischief & Failing to comply with Flight crew x3 (fines of up to $13,000).”

The airline apologized in a statement to Balvir’s co-passengers stating that the passengers were affected by the delay and diversions of the uninvited situation. Canada had mandated the requirement of wearing masks at Airports in the wake of the novel coronavirus. Also, it has released the possible requirement of screening on a few of the airports as well. The Canadian Minister of Travel had claimed that his first priority is the safety and security of the nation’s people in the midst of announcing the mandatory temperature check at airports.