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“My trainer used to hit me frequently. He used to warn me that in spite of the beatings, I would be forced to study as I had secured admission under reservation and my parents were manual laborers,” says R Rahul, a trainee pilot at the Rajiv Gandhi Academy for Aviation Technology, Thiruvananthapuram
The 21-year-old who hails from Kaniyapuram in Thiruvananthapuram has alleged that Vamsi Krishna, his trainer at the academy has been discriminating against him for being a Dalit and physically assaulting him for not paying bribes.
Rahul a first rank holder in the reserved category in the entrance examination had secured a scholarship that enabled him to join the institute in 2013.
“The course is a 200 hours training program divided into five schedules. The trainer demanded that everyone should pay bribes if they wished to get the certificate. He wanted Rs 5,000 per schedule. Many students were forced to pay, I could not have even I wished to,” says Rahul.
Though the trainer had been abusive for quite some time, on December 22 last year, he allegedly hit Rahul on the face during a training session.
“He never teaches me, and he was angrier after I said I could not pay the money. I was hospitalized for two days after the incident and that’s when I decided to complain,” he told The News Minute. (TNM).
“My eye was injured, but the director did not act. I gave a police complaint, but it was of no use. I wrote letters to Kerala and central govt, but got no responses. Finally, I approached the Lokayukta office and they filed a case. After that when some local media started reporting, I managed to meet Member of Parliament Anil Kumar,” Rahul said.
The Kerala government has constituted an enquiry committee that will be headed by Joint secretary AP Gopakumar.
"There is some issue involving the trainer and a probe has been ordered. Only after the probe can the academy pronounce its stand," M Sheriff, secretary of the academy and a member of the enquiry committee told TNM.