An IndiGo employee has filed a police complaint against three senior officials of the airline, alleging that they made casteist remarks against him during a company meeting, officials said on Monday. The complaint was originally registered as a Zero FIR on May 21 in Karnataka and was formally transferred to the DLF-1 police station in Gurugram on Sunday.
The case was transferred to Gurugram
Sharan A, a 35-year-old resident of Bengaluru, filed the complaint, following which the city police registered a zero FIR. Since the incident occurred in Gurugram, the Bengaluru Police have transferred the case to the Gurugram police, officials said.
On receiving the zero FIR, Gurugram Police registered an FIR at DLF Phase 1 police station on Sunday, they said. "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, DLF Phase 1.
IndiGo 'strongly refutes' claims
IndiGo, however, dismissed the claims as "baseless" and said it will extend its support to the law enforcement agencies as required. IndiGo said it maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of harassment.
IndiGo Spokesperson 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."
What was stated in the FIR?
According to the complainant, he belongs to the Adi Dravida community, which is classified as a Scheduled Caste, and he was subjected to caste-based remarks on multiple occasions at the workplace.
The FIR states that during a meeting held on April 28, IndiGo employees Tapas Dey, Manish Sahni, and Captain Rahul Patil allegedly made "derogatory remarks" against the complainant.
"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," Sharan A said in his complaint.
He further alleged that he informed the CEO and the ethics committee of IndiGo about what happened during the April 28 meeting, but no action was taken. After this, he lodged a police complaint.
(With PTI inputs)
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