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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Skeleton handed over to police, says Lawyer for Dharmasthala mass burials case complainant
Belthangady: A skeleton, allegedly buried as mentioned in the complaint related to the Dharmasthala mass burials case, has been exhumed and handed over to the Belthangady police. Pawan Deshpande, the lawyer representing the complainant, stated that all necessary legal procedures were followed and a formal statement was recorded before the judge.
The complainant, who has alleged the mass burial of bodies in Dharmasthala, appeared before the Principal Civil Judge and JMFC Court of Belthangady Taluk on July 11 to give his statement.
Speaking to the media after the court proceedings, advocate Pawan Deshpande said, “The complainant is prepared to clearly identify the locations where the bodies were buried. We will cooperate fully with the police on whatever date they set. Relevant information has already been submitted, and there is a concern that evidence could be destroyed. It is now the responsibility of the police to act and exhume the bodies as per the statement.”
When asked about the identity of the accused in the case, Deshpande clarified that the details have been submitted to the court and are with the investigating officer. “We do not have access to that information,” he said.
The lawyer also confirmed that the complainant has not been arrested or taken into police custody. “He is with us and will appear whenever the police direct him to. The complainant is cooperating with the investigation,” Deshpande added.
