NEW DELHI: A Sikh Supreme Court advocate and politician has accused Air India staff of discrimination and humiliation at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport earlier this week. He now plans to initiate legal proceedings against the airline and its officials for the alleged harassment, during which his dark complexion, caste, and turban were reportedly questioned.
Sardar Jeevan Singh (formerly Jeevan Kumar Illayaperumal), a native of Tamil Nadu and national president of the Bahujan Dravida Party, shared his experience on social media after the incident, which reportedly occurred between 7:45 am and 8:30 am on 24 September while he was checking in for a flight from New Delhi to Singapore.
In a detailed Facebook post, Singh alleged: “I faced an unacceptable incident of humiliation at the Air India international counter No. 5 while checking in for my flight to Singapore. After I handed over my passport to the ground staff member, Ms Stuti, who did not have her ID card visible, she made offensive remarks, questioning whether the face on the passport matched mine.”
Singh further stated that Ms Stuti asked, “Your address is in Tamil Nadu, but why are you wearing a Sikh turban?”
Despite producing his voter ID card to substantiate his identity, Singh said the situation escalated. “Another Air India staff member, Mr Mukesh, the officer-in-charge, joined in. In front of over 100 passengers, he subjected me to a series of humiliating and discriminatory questions,” Singh wrote.
These questions allegedly included: “Why are you going to Singapore?”, “How much money do you have in hand? Show your bank account details”, “Why are you wearing a turban?”, “Why are you black?”, and “From which caste did you become a Sikh?”
Singh said he responded to the queries calmly, but the staff then refused to issue his boarding pass. It was only after he asserted his rights as a practising Supreme Court lawyer that they relented and allowed him to board.
“No airline ground staff has the legal authority to question my religion, caste, identity, or financial status. These questions were not only irrelevant but also amounted to discrimination, a violation of my dignity, and a breach of my fundamental rights under Articles 14, 15, 19, and 21 of the Constitution of India,” Singh stated in his post.
He described the incident as a “systemic failure” within Air India to train staff in respecting passengers' rights and upholding constitutional values. Announcing his intention to take legal action under both civil and criminal law, Singh listed the grounds: harassment and humiliation in a public place, discrimination based on religion, caste and appearance, and violation of constitutional rights and aviation regulations.
Singh added that the legal action would be pursued through the Sikh and Bahujan Lawyers Association. “This is not just my personal grievance, it is a fight for dignity, equality, and justice. No passenger, regardless of identity, faith, or economic status, should be subjected to such degrading treatment again.”
When approached for comment, an Air India source initially denied the airline’s involvement. However, after the Facebook post was shared with multiple Air India representatives, the airline sought time to respond. As of Friday night (10 pm), no official response had been received.