Diamond exporter charged for denying Muslim a job

Mumbai: The Mumbai Police booked leading diamond conglomerate Hare Krishna Exports Pvt. Ltd. on Thursday for discrimination and denying a young man a job because he was a Muslim.

The Maharashtra government has said it will order an investigation.

“Thanks for your application. We regret to inform you that we hire only non-Muslim candidates,” was the reply he received on Tuesday. After Mr. Khan decided to go public with the company’s response, a public outrage erupted on social media, forcing HKE Pvt. Ltd.to apologise.

Maharashtra Minority Minister Eknath Khadse on Thursday condemned the denial of a job for a Muslim youth on the basis of his religion and said the government would conduct an inquiry. “We will see that there is strongest punishment possible under available laws,” Mr. Khadse said.

Based on a complaint by 22-year-old MBA, Zeshan Ali Khan, an FIR was registered at a police station in suburban Kurla against major diamond conglomerate and exporter Hare Krishna Exports Pvt. Ltd. The firm has been booked under Sections 153 B (1) (b) (c) of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with hurting religious sentiments, denying or depriving a person his rights and causing disharmony. According to police, the offence is punishable with up to three-year imprisonment.

Acting on a complaint



by social activist Shezhad Poonawalla, the National Commission for Minorities has also sent a notice to the company and directed an enquiry. Mr. Poonawalla, also a lawyer, said the incident was a “blatant violation of the spirit of the Constitution that mandates equality and absence of religious discrimination through Articles 14 and Article 25.”

Savji Dholakia, founder and chairman of HKE, contended that the “erroneous email” was “a mistake” committed by a woman 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,” Mr. Dholakia told.  “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.

Mr. Dholakia’s explanation did not soften the outrage on social media with many charging that the “trainee employee” was being made a “scapegoat” for the firm’s offence. Some also questioned her status as a trainee, saying she was a full-time employee.

Well known among diamond circles, Mr. Dholakia hit the headlines last year after he gifted his employees in Surat more than 400 cars, over 200 flats and jewellery sets as incentive on Diwali.