‘He is 34, she is 72…’: Father of Shankar Mishra who ‘urinated’ on Air India passenger

Shyam Mishra, father of Shankar Mishra, who allegedly urinated on an elderly woman on a New York-Delhi Air India flight on November 26, denied that his 34-year-old son could have done it and described it as a “totally false case”.

"This is a totally false case. My son hadn't slept for 30-35 hours. After dinner, he might've consumed the drink given by the crew and then slept. From what I understand, he was questioned by airline staff after he woke up," news agency ANI quoted Shyam Mishra as saying.

Denying that his son urinated on the woman, Shyam Mishra said, “I don't think he would do it. She (the victim) is a 72-year-old woman, she is like his mother. He (the accused, his son) is a 34-year-old man. How can he do it? He is married and has an 18-year-old daughter.”

The father added that there were no eyewitnesses to the incident.

“She (victim) had demanded payment and it was made. Don't know what happened next. Must have demanded something that perhaps wasn't met that upset her. Perhaps there was blackmailing, there must be something,” Shyam Mishra added.

Meanwhile, Shankar Mishra has been terminated by his company, Wells Fargo.

The US financial services company in a statement on Friday said the allegations against Shankar Mishra were "deeply disturbing".

"Wells Fargo holds employees to the highest standards of professional and personal behaviour and we find these allegations deeply disturbing. This individual has been terminated from Wells Fargo," the company said.

"We are cooperating with law enforcement and ask that any additional inquiry be directed to them," the statement added.

Victim says crew made her confront

The woman who complained about Shankar Mishra had informed the crew that she did not want to see his face and was "stunned" when the offender was brought before her and "started crying and profusely apologising".

According to the Delhi Police's FIR against the accused, he also begged her to not lodge a complaint, saying he was a family man and did not wish his wife and child to be affected by the incident.

The victim alleged that despite her unwillingness, she was forced to confront the accused and negotiate with him, further disorienting her, according to the FIR registered on Wednesday based on the victim's complaint to Air India.