Not fit to fly, go stitch slippers: Dalit IndiGo trainee pilot alleges harassment by seniors
Gurugram: A Dalit trainee pilot with IndiGo Airlines has accused three senior officials of caste-based harassment, alleging that he was told he was "not fit to fly a plane" and should "go back and stitch shoes."
An FIR was registered against three IndiGo officials Tapas Dey, Manish Sahni and Captain Rahul Patil under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Initially filed as a zero FIR in Bengaluru, the case was later transferred to the DLF Phase-1 police station in Gurugram.
The 35-year-old trainee pilot alleged that the harassment began immediately after he arrived in office when Dey demanded he leave his phone and bag outside in a "demeaning manner". It reportedly escalated to overtly casteist remarks during a formal meeting at IndiGo’s Gurugram office on April 28.
He alleged that during the 30-minute meeting, he was told, "You are not fit to fly an aircraft, go back and stitch slippers. You are not even worthy of being a watchman here."
In addition to verbal abuse, the complainant cited several instances of what he termed "professional victimisation" — including unjustified salary cuts, forced retraining sessions and unwarranted warning letters.
"The statements they made were not only humiliating but clearly aimed at degrading my identity and status as a Scheduled Caste person," the complaint read.
Despite raising the issue internally with senior management and IndiGo’s ethics panel, the pilot said no remedial action was taken, leaving him with no choice but to approach the police.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
