- Mohammad Jamshid alleged he resigned after being asked to touch his supervisor's feet as apology
- The incident occurred at Bengaluru airport over a missing tie during a routine inspection
- Jamshid filed a complaint but IndiGo's investigation reportedly found no CCTV evidence of the event
A former IndiGo employee has alleged that he resigned after a senior official asked him to touch his supervisor's feet as an apology for reporting to work without wearing a tie. In a video posted on Instagram, Mohammad Jamshid Y, who worked as a ground staff member at Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport, recounted the incident and spoke about workplace challenges that he believes often go unnoticed by passengers.
According to Jamshid, the incident occurred during a routine inspection at Terminal 1. He said a senior official noticed he was not wearing a tie and questioned him about it. Jamshid said he immediately admitted his mistake, apologised and explained that he had unintentionally forgotten to wear the tie, assuring the official that it would not happen again.
He alleged that the official then called his supervisor and questioned why she had allowed him to enter the terminal without following the dress code. After his supervisor apologised, Jamshid said he was also asked to apologise to her, which he did. However, he claimed that an official allegedly instructed him to touch his supervisor's feet as a gesture of apology. Jamshid said he refused because he considered the demand humiliating and inappropriate in a professional workplace.
Following his refusal, he alleged that he was asked to leave the terminal. While acknowledging that forgetting the tie was his mistake, he said any disciplinary action should have been handled in a professional manner. "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," he said.
Watch the video here:
After discussing the incident with colleagues, Jamshid said he filed a complaint with IndiGo's ethics and compliance department. He thanked the airline for investigating the matter but said he was dissatisfied with the outcome.
According to Jamshid, he was informed that investigators could not confirm his presence in Terminal 1 on the day of the alleged incident because the available CCTV footage did not establish that he was there. He questioned the conclusion, saying the terminal's check-in area is covered by extensive surveillance cameras.
Jamshid said the episode left him feeling that his dignity and self-respect had been compromised, prompting him to resign from what he described as his dream job.
"After careful consideration, I concluded that I could no longer continue in an environment where I felt my dignity and self-respect had been affected. I therefore decided to resign from my position. I remain grateful for the opportunities I received during my time with IndiGo and appreciate the colleagues who supported me throughout my employment. At the same time, I believe every employee, regardless of rank or designation, deserves to be treated with dignity, fairness, and respect. My hope is that by sharing my experience, attention can be drawn to the importance of workplace culture, employee dignity, and the need for employees to feel heard when raising concerns," he wrote.
The video has since gone viral on social media, with several users sharing similar workplace experiences. Others expressed support for Jamshid and called on the airline to thoroughly investigate his allegations.
IndiGo has not publicly responded to Jamshid's claims.
