Minister of Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu on Tuesday promised action after an Air India air hostess wrote to him alleging that the national carrier did not conduct a fair inquiry into her complaint on sexual harassment allegedly by a senior executive.
The air hostess, with more than 33 years of experience at Air India, wrote that she was “sexually harassed, tortured and discriminated against” over a period of six years. But, after a complaint to the airline in September last year, the internal complaints committee “did nothing to act on the issue and dragged their feet” and conducted “a mockery of an inquiry”.
“(I have) asked Air India CMD to immediately address the issue. If necessary, will appoint another committee,” Mr. Prabhu tweeted after the complainant shared her letter online Tuesday morning.
Air India CMD told The Hindu , “The internal complaints committee is seized of the matter and is inquiring into it.”
According to the Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act, 2013, an internal complaints committee must complete its investigation within 90 days of a complaint being filed and action must be taken within 60 days of the inquiry concluding. All parties involved need to be apprised of the findings and given a chance to make representation before the committee finalises its report.
The cabin crew has written that she had not been informed about the status of her complaint she filed nine months ago.
Sources said three women employees of Air India were part of the ICC, but didn’t say if there was an outsider, such as a member of an NGO, too, on the panel as required by law.
The Air India hostess has raised questions about the composition of the ICC and alleged that the chairperson of the committee had been openly supportive of the alleged perpetrator and that one of the members was his protégé.