Amid the celebratory music, Chavda was abruptly silenced by the sound of unsheathed swords as his procession was intercepted by a group of men from the dominant community.

The flight, AI 132, was scheduled to fly from Heathrow airport in England to Bengaluru. Air India has also reportedly communicated the incident to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation — India’s top aviation watchdog.

Earlier in the day, Gandhi, former Congress chief and the leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, had attempted to raise the government’s handling of the 2020 India-China military standoff in eastern Ladakh, citing a magazine article.