Chennai police slap SC/ST Act case against Air India executives

CHENNAI: The Airport police have registered a case under SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against five serving executives of Air India, including GM (operation) based in Delhi, and retired staff based on a complaint from a former senior manager (flight dispatch).

The complainant, Vimal Rajaseharan, had lodged the complaint 11 months ago. The police, after conducting a preliminary inquiry and getting legal opinion, registered a case on July 4 at Airport station.

The accused listed in the FIR are S Velraj, GM (operations) and executive director (in-charge), Delhi; CN Hemalatha, regional director, Chennai; K Murali, AGM; Anand Stephen, AGM; Sathiya Subramanian, liaison officer for SC/ST and GM (personnel); and Subramanian Kuttan, retired AGM.

Vimal, who was removed from service after he lodged the complaint against superiors, alleged that he was harassed, intimidated and faced atrocities for being a Dalit. He alleged that he faced workplace harassment, caste discrimination, received threat letters, beside excessive work load.

“I was the only person who was rostered for six days a week and treated like a bonded labourer while all others, including casual workers, were rostered for 5 days,” he alleged.

He had lodged at least two complaints earlier against his superiors and despite giving undertaking to the court not to harm him, they harassed him, said the complainant. According to him the superiors had filed certain documents in the court were not genuine and suppressed internal committee report on caste discrimination against him.

After he lodged a complaint with the Parliament Committee for SC/ST, the officers allegedly threatened to remove him from service. Vimal said he topped the recruitment test and was appointed as assistant manager (flight operations) in 2003. But he had to face discrimination just because he is a Dalit, he added.