Elham Asaad Buaras
Zeshan Ali Khan, posted a screenshot of an email he received the previous day from Hare Krishna Exports Ltd, on his Facebook page
A Mumbai-based diamond company is being investigated for discrimination after it explicitly informed a Muslim MBA graduate that his job application is being rejected on the grounds of his faith.
The storm erupted on May 20 after Zeshan Ali Khan, posted a screenshot of an email he received the previous day from Hare Krishna Exports Ltd, on his Facebook page.
The email simply read; “Thanks for your application. We regret to inform you that we hire only non-Muslim candidates” .
The viral reaction to Khan’s facebook page prompted, the company to issue a statement regretting “any hurt caused” by the incident as well as a denied it discriminates against Muslim candidates.
Savji Dholakia, founder and chair of HKE, contended that the “erroneous email” was “a mistake” committed by a junior trainee, Dipika Tike, who joined the “firm’s HR team only two months ago” and was not aware of the company’s culture. “She did not realise the gravity of her blunder,” said Dholakia. “There is no official policy or rule in the company that prevents people of a particular caste or religion from getting employment. We had no intention of appearing biased or hurting sentiments,” he said.
The company’s apology to Khan was accompanied by a job offer, an offer Khan says he rejected due to the company’s inadequate explanation which he says merely demoted the incident to “ a clerical error” by newly employed junior trainee.
In an interview with The Muslim News the 22 year old said journalists had since uncovered that contrary to company’s claim Tike “was working with the firm for the last 4 years and holds a senior post”.
According to the screenshot of Tike’s LinkdIn profile which has since disappeared, Tike worked with the Gammon group as an HR executive and Manager-HR and admin with Muez-Hest India Ltd.
Tike came to HKE with 4 years of experience and joined the firm with as ‘Human Resources Generalist’. Her job description at the firm was “recruitment, employee engagement, MIS, etc.” The page did not mention HR trainee under any field of expertise.
“I have been informed that the company is just trying to make the poor lady a scapegoat by pressurizing her to take the blame on herself. Also I have been told that she approached the Bombay High Court for anticipatory bail.”
Khan said he initially laughed when he read the email, “I thought it might be some stupid joke but when I discovered that my friends who applied with me were called for an interview the next day, I was shocked and disgusted. I realized that this is unacceptable.”
“My friends final round of interview was taken by the aforesaid trainee which proves she was a senior manager however my friends refused to accept their offer letter and as solidarity decided to walk out. ”
Khan case of religious discrimination has been taken by India’s National Commission for Minorities.
