Cong leader says Covid stamp at airport caused skin burns; Puri responds

New Delhi, Oct 05: Former Member of Parliament and national spokesperson for Congress Madhu Goud Yaskhi on Sunday said he has sustained skin burns and infection from the indelible ink used for stamping international passengers, who have to undergo compulsory home quarantine, on arrival at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International airport.

Yaskhi, a former MP from Nizamabad constituency in Telangana, was stamped when he arrived at the airport from New York, on Saturday, to catch a connecting flight to Hyderabad. Before he headed for his flight, he was stamped on his left arm and was to undergo home quarantine in Hyderabad.

The Congress leader complained that he had an allergic reaction to the ink. Mr. Yakshi took to Twitter, posting images of a badly swollen forearm where he had been stamped.

"The moment I was stamped I started feeling itchy. I thought it was normal. By 4.15 pm when my flight took off, the irritation grew and I felt a burning sensation. Gradually, it turned black and it became intolerable," he said.

Yaskhi tweeted on a picture of his hand on Sunday, tagging Union civil aviation minister Hardeep Puri and asking him to look into the matter.

"Dear @ Ji, can you please look into the chemical being used at Delhi airport for stamping on passengers coming from abroad? Yesterday I was stamped at @DelhiAirport and this is how my hands look now," the National Secretary and Spokesperson of the Congress Party wrote.

In response to his tweet, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said, "Thank you for drawing my attention to this. A have spoken to CMD AAI".

DIAL, the Delhi airport operator, responded to Yakshi's tweet.

"We deeply regret the inconvenience caused. The ink used for stamping is a standard indelible ink. We've reported the issue to the Delhi State Authorities. Currently, this batch of ink is being kept aside for testing by the supplier and further desired action. Thank you for highlighting this issue."

At present, all international passengers arriving Delhi need to undergo mandatory institutional quarantine.

However, passengers can apply for an exemption from institutional quarantine by uploading their recent Covid-19 negative report on Delhi airports portal Air Suvidha ahead of their flight. Once approved, the passengers will only require home quarantine.

Passengers can also get themselves tested for Covid-19 upon their arrival at the Delhi airport and if found negative may head straight for home quarantine.