Zaira Wasim in a screenshot from her Instagram live video. Photo: NDTV

New Delhi, India (BBN) – Twitter has reacted strongly after actress Zaira Wasim, best known for her starring role in Aamir Khan’s Dangal, alleged she’s been molested on board an Air Vistara flight by a male passenger sitting behind her.

The actress made her way to Twitter’s top trend on Sunday morning after netizens condemned the alleged molestation in angry words and tweeted: “I stand with Zaira Wasim”. “The person who doesn’t how to sit in a flight is not a person actually he’s an animal with a boarding pass,” read a tweet while another user wrote: “I am SHOCKED by Zaira Wasim’s Insta video,” reports NDTV.

In Instagram stories posted around midnight, Zaira alleged the man rubbed his foot against her neck and back, and even had his foot placed on her arm rest. “This is the worst thing,” she said in an Instagram live video. Zaira Wasim was travelling from Delhi to Mumbai.

Zaira Wasim breaks down in the live video as she says: “So, I just landed and you know the whole irony of this is that the guy… this is not done at all. This is not the way, this is not a girl should be made to feel because this is terrible. Is this how they are doing to take care of girls? No one will help us if we don’t decide to help ourselves.” The alleged molester “must be shamed,” said Twitter. “I support young girl Zaira Wasim for her courage. Zaira, we are with you,” added a Tweet.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, who is from Zaira Wasim’s home state of Jammu and Kashmir, tweeted that legal action should be taken.
Wrestling champ Geeta Phogat, whose role Zaira Wasim played in Dangal, also tweeted in support of the actress and so did her sister Babita.
In separate Instagram stories around midnight, Zaira had said she could just manage a shot of the man’s leg as the lights were dim. “Managed to get this (shot of the molester’s foot). The lights were dimmed so it was even worse. It continued for another 5-10 minutes and then I was sure of it. He kept nudging my shoulder and continued to move his foot up and down my back and neck,” she uploaded. In another post, she added: “I tried to record it on my phone to understand it better. But because the cabin lights were dimmed, I failed to get it. I ignored it the first time, blamed the turbulence for it. Until I woke up to this pleasant sight of his beautiful foot rubbing my back and neck… Guess he couldn’t sit like a civilized human being and placed his foot on my arm rest while he’s fully ‘pheloaed’ his body on his seat (sic).”
Netizens are also particularly curious about how much progress the airline has made into the investigation after one of Zaira’s stories said: “Slow clap for Air Vistara crew! Wonderful!”. Vistara’s responded with a tweet which says investigation is under-way and that they have “zero tolerance” policy for such incidents.
Zaira Wasim was last seen in Secret Superstar, which was her second film with Dangal co-star Aamir Khan.
BBN/MMI/ANS