Bengaluru: A young man from Kerala has opened up about the distressing experience that led to his resignation from IndiGo, one of the country's leading airlines. Muhammed Jamshid, a native of Kasaragod who worked as part of IndiGo’s ground staff at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, shared his ordeal in a video posted on Instagram. Jamshid, who is also a content creator, revealed that he chose to resign after a supervisor demanded he touch his feet to apologise for reporting to duty without wearing a tie.

Recounting the incident, Jamshid said, "I was assigned to conduct a weekly audit at Terminal 1 of Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru that day. After completing the audit, a director stopped me. He noticed that I was not wearing a tie. I immediately admitted my mistake, apologised, and explained that it was not intentional. I also assured him that it would not happen again."
 

"The director then called my supervisor and questioned why I was allowed into the terminal without a tie. The supervisor apologised immediately. Following this, the supervisor asked me to apologise to them, which I did without any hesitation. Then, the supervisor demanded that I touch his feet and apologise. I felt that this was highly humiliating in a professional workplace. Therefore, I respectfully refused. Consequently, I was asked to leave the terminal," Jamshid continued.

Reflecting on the nature of the confrontation, Jamshid emphasised the need for workplace decency. "I fully accepted responsibility for forgetting my tie. A uniform violation, if any, should be addressed professionally and respectfully. In my view, no employee should be asked to do something that compromises their dignity and self-respect. When I returned after a pre-planned leave, some colleagues questioned me about the incident. It pained and embarrassed me deeply that such a highly personal matter had become public knowledge among others," he said.

"I reported everything that transpired to the Ethics and Compliance team. I am grateful to them for considering my complaint, listening to me, and conducting an investigation," he added.

"I had nothing to prove to anyone. Before resigning, I sent emails to all departments and informed the managers concerned about what had happened. I was told that the matter would be looked into and that someone would speak to me. Unfortunately, no one paid attention. It felt as though everyone had forgotten about it. It was only when I shared my experience on social media that the department concerned took it seriously," Jamshid said.

Following Jamshid’s public disclosure, which triggered a massive debate on social media, an IndiGo spokesperson issued a response. The spokesperson stated that the airline had thoroughly investigated the matters raised by Jamshid in accordance with established procedures, but found no evidence so far to substantiate the allegations.

IndiGo further alleged that Jamshid had exhibited poor performance during his tenure. The airline claimed it possesses written evidence of infractions, including unauthorised absences from work. The company added that supervisory interventions and counselling sessions had been conducted previously, and Jamshid had been provided with every opportunity to improve his performance.