Social activists and Dalit organisations on Monday demanded that the government conduct a fair probe and take strong action against the senior IndiGo officials accused of hurling casteist slurs at a trainee pilot of the airline.

The National Confederation of Dalit and Adivasi Organisations (NACDAOR) wrote a letter to IndiGo and the Gurugram Police, demanding a fair probe.

NACDAOR chairman Ashok Bharti said: "Such kinds of casteist slurs should not be tolerated. Strong action is needed against the people who made such remarks."

In a letter to the airline, NACDAOR pointed out that the pilot, who belongs to a Scheduled Caste, had raised his grievances before his seniors and the ethics committee, but IndiGo failed to take corrective steps and the victimisation continued.

"We are shocked and request you to kindly investigate the matter with utmost sincerity and share the details of the investigation with this organisation,” NACDAOR wrote.

The young pilot alleged that three senior IndiGo officials had told him that he was "not fit to fly an aircraft" and that he should "go back and stitch slippers”.

The Gurugram Police have lodged a complaint after the trainee pilot accused his seniors of verbal abuse at the IndiGo office.

Airline denial

IndiGo denied the allegations, saying it followed a zero-tolerance policy against any form of discrimination, harassment or bias and would extend its support to law enforcement agencies.

"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 airline said.

Documentary filmmaker Rakesh Sharma questioned the government on whether any action had been taken. On X, he asked IndiGo whether anti-Dalit caste discrimination and harassment were part of its corporate culture and HR practices.

Sharma also asked the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation whether a notice would be issued to the airline and demanded immediate suspension of the alleged offenders, pending an official probe. "Will you blacklist them from any future jobs in the aviation sector," he asked.

A professor at Jadavpur University, Subhajit Naskar, appealed on X to file an FIR against IndiGo’s higher authorities and demanded ₹10 lakh for the trainee pilot.

'GPS interference'

An Air India Express flight from Delhi to Srinagar via Jammu returned to its origin airport before landing on Monday afternoon, officials said. A spokesman for the airline said the flight returned to Delhi as a precautionary measure following a suspected “GPS interference” and an alternative aircraft was later provided to the passengers to reach their destination.