‘Deeply disturbing’: US-based company Wells Fargo sacks VP Shankar Mishra for urinating on a woman on an Air India flight

Shankar Mishra, accused of urinating on a woman on an Air India flight from New York to New Delhi in November 2022, has been fired from US financial services firm, Wells Fargo. Releasing a statement on Friday, January 6, 2023, Wells Fargo said the charges against Shankar Mishra were “deeply disturbing”.
Shankar Mishra worked as a vice president for the Indian chapter of Wells Fargo, which is a multinational financial services corporation headquartered in San Francisco, California. The company said, “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. We are cooperating with law enforcement and ask that any additional enquiries be directed to them.” Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational financial services company with businesses in over 40 countries, with approximately $1.9 trillion in assets. The company is involved in banking, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance businesses. Its main subsidiary is Wells Fargo Bank, the fourth largest bank in the USA. Along with JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Citigroup, Wells Fargo is considered one of the “Big Four Banks” of the United States.
The police meanwhile, informed on Friday that Mishra has been missing and a lookout notice and airport alerts have been put out amid a police manhunt. They also said that Police teams have been sent to Mumbai and Bengaluru. “The office of the accused is situated in Bengaluru and it was found in the primary investigation that he was working from home, however, the investigation is underway,” an officer privy to the case said, adding that the police are trying to nab him.
On November 26, onboard Air India flight AI-102, an inebriated male passenger, now identified as Shankar Mishra, travelling by business class from New York to Delhi, exposed himself and urinated on a female co-passenger. Today, (January 6, 2023) accused Shankar Mishra, who has been absconding since the purported incident came to light, issued a statement through his lawyers claiming that he had paid ‘compensation’ to the victim and the lady displayed no intention of lodging a complaint.
The victim, on the other hand, alleged in her complaint that the crew members on board compelled her to confront the accused and negotiate with him, and accept his ‘apology’.
Meanwhile, in wake of Air India’s mid-air urination incidents, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday issued an advisory to the head of operations of all scheduled airlines with regard to handling unruly passengers on board and respective responsibilities as per the regulations. The guidelines come in the wake of back-to-back two urination incidents on Air India flights last year.