Air India ousts senior executive accused of sexual harassment

MUMBAI: National carrier Air India has removed a senior executive from the post of general manager for alleged involvement in a sexual harassment case.

The ousted executive was accused of sexual harassment by an Air India air hostess, who had also written a letter to civil aviation minister Suresh Prabhu in this regards in May.

As per an airline notification issued last week, general manager for flight dispatch (headquarters) will hold the additional charge of the GMIFS (HQ). “General manager flight dispatch will hold the additional charge of the post of GM(IFS), headquarters... the duty assigned to GM(IFS) will be notified in due course,” the Air India general manager (personnel) said in a notification dated August 21.

When contacted, an Air India spokesperson said that the person who till now was holding the charge of GM-IFS is a senior pilot and he is now back into flying.

The removal of the senior executive coincided with the summoning of Air India chairman and managing director Pradeep Singh Kharola by the women and child development (WCD) ministry to explain reasons behind the delay in completing probe in the case recently. The air hostess (victim) had also met WCD minister Maneka Gandhi, following which her ministry had sought a report from Air India in the case by June.

She had alleged that she had been harassed for the last six years by the senior executive, describing him as a “predator” and equal, if not worse, than Harvey Weinstein, the Hollywood film maker charged with sexual misconduct by leading actresses.