IndiGo Faces Online Backlash as Trainee Pilot Files FIR Against Caste Discrimination at Workplace

IndiGo’s three officials have come under the legal radar after an FIR has been lodged against them under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and BNS (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita). The FIR has been filed by a trainee pilot, alleging caste-based discrimination at the company’s corporate office by his seniors Tapas Dey, Manish Sahani, and Captain Rahul Patil. Initially the case was registered as a zero FIR in Bengaluru but was later transferred to DLF-1 police station in Gurgaon, the Times of India reported. The airline faced severe online backlash for the alleged discriminatory practice.

The FIR was lodged under sections 3(1)(r) and 3(1)(s) of the SC/ST Act. The sections deal with intentional insults or intimidation with an aim to humiliate an SC or ST member in the public eye. Additionally, the FIR included cases under sections 351 (2) (criminal intimidation), 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), and 3(5) (common intention) of the BNS.

IndiGo, however, refuted the claims and mentioned that it follows a zero-tolerance policy against any kind of discriminatory practices.

"IndiGo upholds a zero-tolerance policy 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 fairness, integrity, and accountability and will extend its support to the law enforcement agencies as required," said an IndiGo spokesperson.

The police have initiated an investigation into the matter. 

“We have begun collecting evidence and will soon record the statements of all parties involved,” the assistant sub-inspector Dalwinder Singh said, according to TOI.

Allegations Against IndiGo’s Officials 

The 35-year-old trainee employee reportedly said that he faced verbal abuse, and his colleagues made casteist remarks at him during a meeting, like “you are not fit to fly an aircraft, go back and stick slippers” and “you don’t even have the worth to be a watchman here”. In his complaint, the trainee pilot mentioned that the harassment continued for days and was intended to pressure him to quit the job. 

“The statements they made were not only humiliating but clearly aimed at degrading my identity and status as a Scheduled Caste person,” the 35-year-old trainee said in his complaint. 

The harassment and humiliation by the top officials weren’t just limited to verbal abuse. But it included “professional victimisation” via unjustified salary reductions, forced retraining sessions, revocation of travel privileges and unwarranted warning letters. In his complaint, the trainee pilot of IndiGo alleged that he initially brought the matter before an internal ethics committee of IndiGo, but their inaction on the matter forced him to take legal recourse. 

Netizens Reacts to Alleged Discrimination 

Following the development, netizens urged India’s largest airline by market share to take action against the three senior officials. A user on X asked IndiGo whether such discrimination is part of the airline’s corporate culture or HR policy.