A 35-year-old trainee pilot with IndiGo has reportedly filed a police complaint alleging caste-based harassment by three senior officials at the airline's corporate office in Gurgaon.
The pilot, who belongs to a Scheduled Caste, claimed he was told he was “not fit to fly a plane” and should “go back and stitch slippers” during a meeting with the officials on April 28.
An FIR has been registered against Tapas Dey, Manish Sahni and Captain Rahul Patil under provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Additional charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita have also been added.
The complaint, initially filed as a zero FIR in Bengaluru, has now been transferred to the DLF Phase-1 police station in Gurugram, where IndiGo's corporate headquarters are located.
“The abuse started the moment I entered the room”
According to the FIR accessed by a news channel, the alleged casteist comments were made during a 30-minute meeting at IndiGo’s office in Emaar Capital Tower 2. The meeting began at around 3:30 p.m. on April 28.
In his statement, the pilot claimed the abuse began as soon as he entered the office. “One of the officials, Tapas Dey, told me to leave my phone and bag outside in a demeaning manner,” he said. “This set the tone for the abuse that followed.”
The FIR includes direct quotes allegedly made by the officials during the meeting: “You are not fit to fly an aircraft, go back and stitch slippers” and “You don’t even have the worth to be a watchman here.”
Pattern of harassment and victimisation, alleges pilot
The pilot further alleged that the harassment was not a one-time event. He said he was subjected to what he described as “professional victimisation” in the days that followed. This included:
Unjustified deductions from his salary
Mandatory retraining sessions not required of others
Revocation of travel privileges
Repeated warning letters
He stated that he took the matter to the airline’s senior management and its internal ethics committee. However, he alleged that no action was taken, forcing him to approach the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) cell for legal recourse.
FIR invokes SC/ST Atrocities Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita
The police have registered the FIR under Sections 3(1)(r) and 3(1)(s) of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. These sections deal with intentional insult and intimidation meant to humiliate a member of a Scheduled Caste or Tribe in public.
Additional charges include Section 351(2) for criminal intimidation, Section 352 for intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace, and Section 3(5) for common intention under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
“We have begun collecting evidence and will soon record the statements of all parties involved,” Assistant Sub-Inspector Dalwinder Singh was quoted as saying by the Times of India.
IndiGo silent, social media not
As of this report, IndiGo has not issued an official statement in response to the allegations or the FIR. Multiple requests for comment sent by reporters remain unanswered.
However, the issue has begun to gain traction on social media platform X, where users have questioned the airline’s silence and demanded accountability.
One user wrote:
“Dear #Indigo Airlines:
Is anti-Dalit caste discrimination and harassment a part of your corporate culture or HR practices and policy? Or do you claim to have zero tolerance for it? In which case, have you sacked Tapas Dey, Manish Sahani and Capt Rahul Patil yet?! Act. Now.”
Another alleged this was not an isolated incident: “There are many such incidents related to these people. It’s just 1 of 1000 such issues. People are scared to put complaints against them as they ruin your career due to their position and influence in aviation. Shameless people working in top management—brothers in crime.”
A third comment questioned HR protocols at the airline...“Aren’t HR people taught how to speak to employees? How is he an AVP and CP? Very toxic.”
The pilot’s decision to take the legal route, after allegedly being ignored by internal mechanisms, has sparked a conversation on social media about the safeguards or the lack thereof available to Dalit professionals in India's corporate spaces.
