New Delhi
\nHindutva extremists in India, who have been up in arms in recent weeks over issues like Muslim attires and loudspeakers at mosques, have found a new target: state-owned Pawan Hans on the charge of hiring Muslim trainees.
\nAccording to media report , the country\u2019s biggest helicopter service provider has apparently caused displeasure among the extremists with its alleged list of new apprentices. Its critics have been widely circulating on social media a list of trainees\u2014all of them Muslims\u2014who allegedly joined the company on March 30.
\nThose on the list, the Hindutva extremists allege, are all products of Delhi\u2019s famed Jamia Milia Islamia University, and that this was \u201cunfair\u201d to those following the \u201cmajority\u201d religion.
\nNot surprisingly, #BanPawanHans has been trending on Twitter over the past few days.
\nThe extremists even alleged that the government-owned aviation company had carved out a secret quota for Muslim candidates.
\nPawan Hans owns 43 helicopters and serves firms like Oil and Natural Gas Corporation and other state-owned energy firms for their off-shore and remote locations like the northeast and India\u2019s island territories. The Narendra Modi government has been trying to sell a majority stake of 51% in Pawan Hans since 2018, but without luck so far.
\nA Hindi-language news channel seems to have sparked the row. Last week, it reported that Pawan Hans was hiring only Muslim candidates for its apprentice programme.
\nIt reported that Hindutva extremists had been protesting against the company. It also reached out to a company official who, however, refused to respond.
\nThe channel claimed that it was a \u201csecurity concern\u201d that Pawan Hans, which ferries pilgrims to popular Hindu shrines like Vaishno Devi, was hiring only Muslim candidates.
\nEarlier, hinting at the channel\u2019s tone and tenor, India\u2019s Supreme Court had said that \u201ca particular community cannot be targeted\u201d in the name of investigative journalism and that the \u201ccountry cannot survive with such an agenda.\u201d
\nIn 2017, the company signed a deal with Jamia to provide a full-time basic aircraft maintenance training course to select students. The self-financed course has a total fee of 1.3 lakh rupees ($1,703), out of which only 30% goes to the university and the rest to Pawan Hans.
\nThis year, the company selected a total of 30 students for the interview, a selected candidate told the news portal The Wire.
\n\u201cOut of these 30 students, four\u2014two Muslims and two Hindus\u2014dropped out for personal reasons. Out of the remaining 26, a total of 10 candidates\u2026were selected. Later, a Muslim student who cleared the interview also opted out for personal reasons,\u201d the portal reported.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
New Delhi Hindutva extremists in India, who have been up in arms in recent weeks over issues like Muslim attires and loudspeakers at mosques, have found a new target: state-owned Pawan Hans on the charge of hiring Muslim trainees. According to media report , the country\u2019s biggest helicopter service provider has apparently caused displeasure among […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":256202,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[337,6100,6101,6099],"class_list":{"0":"post-256188","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-ban","9":"tag-helicopter-company","10":"tag-hindutva-extremists","11":"tag-hiring-muslims"},"yoast_head":"\n