“Go Stitch Slippers”: IndiGo Employees Booked for Casteist Abuse of Trainee Pilot
23 Jun, 2025 13:02 IST|Sakshi Post
A case has been registered against three IndiGo officials for allegedly subjecting a trainee pilot to casteist slurs.
According to reports, Sharan Kumar has accused three colleagues — Tapas Dey, Manish Sahani, and Rahul Patil — of using derogatory language and telling him that he did not deserve to sit in the cockpit or fly an aircraft.
Alluding to an ancestral caste-based profession, Sharan Kumar alleged that his colleagues told him to “go back and stitch slippers.”
In a formal complaint, Sharan’s father, Ashok Kumar, stated that the casteist and abusive remarks were made in the presence of other staff members.
“You are not fit to fly an aircraft. Go back and stitch slippers. You are not even worthy of licking my shoe,” the three IndiGo employees reportedly told Sharan.
According to the police complaint, one of the staffers also said: “One %#$@ has the guts to sit in front of me and ask for an explanation? You don’t even qualify to be a watchman in this building, and you’re asking for an explanation?”
A case has been filed against the accused under relevant sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS).
Sharan further alleged that he has been a target of consistent harassment and discriminatory treatment by his colleagues.
His father claimed that Sharan was mistreated — forced to undergo corrective training without any performance failure, subjected to unauthorized salary cuts, revocation of sick leave without valid reason, stripped of staff travel and ACM privileges, and issued a warning letter without proof. He believes these actions were part of an effort to pressure his son into resigning.
Ashok Kumar alleged that the trio made humiliating remarks with the intent to undermine Sharan’s dignity and status as a Scheduled Caste individual.
He also stated that Sharan’s complaints to IndiGo’s CEO and Ethics Committee have gone unheard.
The police have launched an investigation into the allegations.
