Air India medical dept urges management to repeal transfer of doctor accused of alleged sexual misconduct

Regional heads of Air India medical department have appealed the airline management to repeal the transfer of an alleged doctor who has a sexual harassment case

Regional heads of Air India medical department have appealed the airline management to repeal the transfer of an alleged doctor who has a sexual harassment case pending against him.

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The doctor had been transferred to Hyderabad from Mumbai by the ex-chairman and managing director (CMD) Ashwani Lohani after a female colleague complained of sexual harassment at the workplace. He has now joined the airline headquarters in Delhi as a general manager.

The doctor, who has the rank of a senior official, was transferred and given higher responsibility on May 13. Senior airline sources said that despite an ongoing sexual harassment inquiry, Air India asked the officer to join his duty in Delhi as the executive director (ED) of the medical department is retiring on Sunday, and the transferred officer will be heading the department after him.

While the airline spokesperson on May 15 had said that they wouldn’t comment on the matter citing ‘internal issues’, the spokesperson had called the transfer of senior officers to be a routine administrative exercise as per administrative and operational requirements.

Lohani had earlier endorsed a report that stated that the officer has a ‘negative attitude’ and has an ongoing sexual harassment inquiry against him.

In a letter written to airline management (HT has a copy of it) on May 16, the doctors of Air India stated: “...the said official has been vindictive, vengeful domineer who has an extremely negative attitude, insults everyone at the drop of a hat, belittles colleagues and juniors.”

It further added, “We are privy to the humiliating experiences to our lady colleagues and the lady patients in the guide of his cheap remarks and inappropriate jokes. Most of these ladies contract doctors are forced to genuflect as they are scared to lose their jobs due to his explicit hints of contract termination.”

Requesting to repeal the said officer’s transfer, the airline doctors added, “Heads hang in shame as this doctor bearing the cross sexual harassment will now lead us for the altar of medical headquarter, Air India.”