‘Go Back And Stitch Slippers’: IndiGo Trainee Pilot Accuses Seniors Of Casteist Slurs; FIR Lodged

An IndiGo trainee pilot filed an FIR against three senior colleagues, accusing them of caste-based abuse and harassment, including casteist slurs and professional discrimination.

Representational Image | After a trainee pilot alleged alleges IndiGo failed to address his complaints, the airline dismissed the allegations as unfounded.

Source : PTI

A trainee pilot employed with IndiGo has accused three senior colleagues of subjecting him to caste-based abuse and professional harassment, prompting the registration of an FIR under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The complainant, 35-year-old Sharan A from Bengaluru, alleges that he faced repeated casteist slurs at work, including being told he was “not fit to fly a plane” and should “go back and stitch slippers.”

Police officials confirmed that a zero FIR was initially filed in Bengaluru and later transferred to Gurugram, where the alleged incident occurred, news agency PTI reported. Gurugram police subsequently registered a formal FIR at the DLF Phase 1 police station and initiated an investigation.

‘Targeted Harassment Aimed at Forcing Resignation,’ Alleges Trainee Pilot

Sharan, who belongs to the Scheduled Caste Adi Dravida community, claimed he was insulted in a company meeting on 28 April at IndiGo’s Gurugram office. According to the FIR, the accused — Tapas Dey, Manish Sahni and Captain Rahul Patil — made disparaging remarks including, “You are not fit to fly an aircraft, go back and stitch slippers. You are not even worthy of being a watchman here”, NDTV reported.

According to PTI, the pilot further alleged in his complaint: “Caste-based verbal abuse, discrimination and threats were made. I was insulted in front of everyone… Even before this, I faced continuous and targeted harassment and discriminatory behaviour. I was issued several warning letters without any fault or proof. Salary cuts, sick leaves curtailed without any valid reason, staff travel and ACM privileges cancelled… The accused also pressured me to resign.”

He said he had flagged the issue to IndiGo’s CEO and the airline’s ethics committee but no remedial action was taken, leading him to file a police complaint.

IndiGo Denies Allegations, Reaffirms Commitment to Inclusive Workplace

In response to the accusations, IndiGo dismissed the allegations as unfounded and reaffirmed its workplace values. According to PTI, a spokesperson for the airline said, “IndiGo upholds a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of discrimination, harassment, or bias and remains firmly committed to being an inclusive and respectful workplace. IndiGo strongly refutes these baseless claims and stands by its values of fairness, integrity, and accountability and will extend its support to the law enforcement agencies as required.”

The case is currently under investigation, with police verifying the facts and promising appropriate legal action. “An FIR has been registered and a probe is underway. We are verifying the facts and action will be taken as per the law,” said Rajesh Kumar, Station House Officer of DLF Phase 1 police station, as quoted by PTI.

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