AHHA director arrested for illegal admission, sent to judicial custody

Bhubaneswar: The commissionerate police on Thursday arrested the director of Air Hostess and Hospitality Academy (AHHA) and sent him to judicial custody on charges of admitting students without affiliation of the institute.

Action will also be initiated based on the complaint of AHHA authorities against the erring students who ransacked the institute on Wednesday alleging sexual harassment in the name of placements, DCP Satyabrat Bhoi said, adding a team of police may leave for Hyderabad where students are allegedly sexually harassed.

Sources said, students of the city based air hostess institute ransacked office and thrashed its officials including director Dillip Routray alleging sexual harassment in the name of placements.

The irate students alleged that the AHHA authorities used to send them outside the State for jobs where they were sexually harassed. Besides, the institute was charging hefty sum from them towards course fee, but did not conduct the exams and provide them certificates, they alleged.

“We were told lies and sent to Hyderabad where we were sexually harassed. The team leaders asked for sexual favors there for the betterment of our careers,” a student had alleged stating that when we used to call AHHA authorities, they used to suggest that you have to compromise for the career.

On the other hand, the director of the institute had refuted such allegation.

“While thousands of students have graduated from this institute and hundreds of students have been placed; only these ten students are protesting. We have placed them but they are leaving the job citing various reasons like sexual harassment and others,” director of the academy Dilip Routray said on Wednesday.