Telangana: Trainee pilot alleges harassment

Hyderabad: A trainee SC/ST pilot at the Telangana State Aviation Academy was allegedly harassed by his instructor for several years. The victim, K. Prasad Meena from Rajasthan, has lodged a complaint with the Begumpet police against two senior academy officials stating that he was abused and beaten by the instructor.

The police has booked a case against chief flying instructor Captain Ashish Agarwal under the SC/ST Atrocities Act, and under IPC sections for assault and criminal intimidation. The honorary secretary of the academy, Captain S.N. Reddy, has also been named in the FIR. However, Captain Agarwal and Captain Reddy denied the allegations and said that the trainee had been performing poorly and was trying to defame the academy due his frustration.

According to Mr Prasad Meena, Captain Ashish Agarwal had abused him and had said that SC/ST trainees were not capable of becoming pilots and that they were dogs feeding on government expenses. The victim, who had joined the academy on a central government scholarship four years ago, said that he was discriminated against from the beginning of the course. “In the initial months, Captain Agarwal used to hit me with his hand. One day, he pushed me out of the flight on the runway. He told me that I deserved to remain in the jungle,” said Mr Meena, adding, “He also threatened to ruin my career.”

The victim has also approached National Commission For SC&ST against the academy officials. Based on another complaint filed by the victim in the academy, a senior official has been appointed to inquire into the allegation. Meanwhile, Captain Anish Agarwal said that the allegations made by Mr Meena were false. “He was performing very poorly from the beginning and I pointed it out. He does not want to accept his mistake and is defaming the academy by filing false cases,” he said. Honorary secretary of the academy, Captain S.N. Reddy, said that the candidate had taken a long leave and disrupted his own training. "We could not allow him to fly solo because his performance was poor and it would be dangerous. After he failed the tests, he filed false allegations against us,” he said.

Begumpet detective inspector Mr L. Balu Chowhan said an investigation had been launched in the case.