Mumbai News: On Ambedkar Jayanti, Man Sacked For Caste

Mumbai: A 23-year-old man has filed a case against an event management firm located in Goregaon for allegedly terminating his employment because of his specific caste.

The case was lodged under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Protection of Civil Rights Act at Goregaon police station on April 17.

According to the police, the complainant resides in Vakola, Santacruz East, and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Media and Communication. He had been actively searching for employment through Google, various job portals, and social media platforms. On April 5, he received a call from a job consultancy informing him about a job opening for a production executive at Elite Sapphire Events, an event management firm located in Goregaon West. Subsequently, on April 8, Neha Dutt, the owner of the firm, conducted his interview and the same day informed him of his selection with a monthly salary of Rs15,000 via WhatsApp. He started his employment the following day and worked until April 13.

On April 14, the complainant was at home due to Ambedkar Jayanti’s holiday. On the same day, he received a message from Dutt asking if he was affiliated with Jai Bhim. Confirming his affiliation, she informed him that she did not hire people associated with Jai Bhim. Later, despite attempts by the complainant’s mother to contact Dutt, she did not respond. Consequently, the complainant reported the incident to the job consultancy and filed a complaint with the police.

The complainant’s advocate and social worker said that despite the passage of almost 75 years since the Constitution was established, caste-based discrimination persists. Merely enacting laws isn’t sufficient, it requires a collective effort to fight such discriminatory mindsets. The incident, occurring on Ambedkar Jayanti, was particularly disappointing.

When this newspaper attempted to contact Dutt, no response was received. Upon inquiry with the Goregaon police, it was revealed that the case had been transferred to the Vakola police station. However, upon approaching the Vakola police, they said that they had not yet received the case.