Mini-Ratna Pawan Hans in controversy over ‘only Muslim’ recruitment

The recruitment practises of Pawan Hans Limited, a Mini Ratna of the Government of India, have sparked a debate on Indian social media. According to a social media viral message, all new apprentices at Pawan Hans are 'Muslims,' with no representation of any other religion.

Pawan Hans is on the way to become world's first Halal Helicopter. pic.twitter.com/mE8UvR8YRp

— BHK🇮🇳 (@Kalburgism) April 8, 2022

Pawan Hans Limited is a government-owned company that is tasked with providing exclusive helicopter services at offshore locations for Indian oil companies and at holy pilgrimage destinations such as Kedarnath and Vaishno Devi shrine for the Ministry of Civil Aviation of the Government of India. State governments use them as well when dealing with Maoist insurgency.

The uproar began when Pawan Hans Limited released a list of new graduate apprentices who would be joining the organisation, all of whom were of the same religion.

The authorities, on the other hand, dismissed the allegations, claiming that the all-Muslim list was created as a result of an exclusive agreement between Pawan Hans Limited (PHL) and Jamia Milia Islamia, a'minority educational institute' in New Delhi.
In 2017, Pawan Hans Limited and Jamia Millia Islamia University collaborated on a two-and-a-half-year full-time basic aircraft maintenance training course. The list that has gone viral on social media is most likely a list of students enrolled in Jamia Milia Islamia's aforementioned course, which is run in collaboration with Pawan Hans Limited.

However, the explanation sparked yet another debate. It begs the question of why there was not a single non-Muslim student on the list. Did the university fail to find a single non-Muslim student worthy of enrolling in the government-funded aviation courses? The incident also highlights the validity of many activists' demands that reservations for SC/STs be implemented in "minority institutes."