Chennai airport police file case against Air India officials under SC/ST Act

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.

Chennai:Vimal Rajasekaran, who worked as a senior manager of Air India at the Chennai Airport, hails from Trichy. In 2019, when he was working as a senior manager at the Chennai Airport, 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, had subjected him to various pressures such as heavy workload, denigration of him as belonging to a lower class, insulting him by calling his caste name. In this regard, he lodged complaints with the Airport Police, including Air India's higher officials and the security wing for SC, and ST classes.

Based on his complaint, the airport police registered a case under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against five serving executives of Air India, including a GM (operations) based in Delhi, and a retired staffer based on a complaint lodged by a former senior manager. Complainant Vimal Rajaseharan complained 11 months ago. The police, after conducting a preliminary probe and seeking legal opinion, registered a case on July 4 at the Airport Station.

The following have been named in the FIR registered by the police--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 complained to higher officials, alleged that he was harassed, intimidated and faced atrocities for being a Dalit.

Earlier, he lodged two complaints against his senior officers and despite giving an undertaking to the court not to harm him, they harassed him, said the complainant. After he complained to 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.