Won't work for biased firm, say Zeshan's friends

Diamond conglomerate’s bias puts off two batchmates

May 22, 2015 11:50 pm | Updated November 16, 2021 02:17 pm IST - MUMBAI:

Along with Zeshan Ali Khan, on Tuesday two of his friends had sent their resume to major diamond conglomerate, Hare Krishna Exports (HKE), seeking a job.

While Mr. Khan’s application was rejected on religious grounds through an email, the other two, Omkar Bansode and Mukund Mani Pandey, received a call for an interview. The opportunity to work for a major exporting firm would sound like a crucial break for the young MBA graduates. And it livened up their spirits.

However, they are not interested anymore. Repelled by the bias faced by their friend and batchmate in college, the two have rejected the firm. Though they claimed they had cleared the initial stages of recruitment, The Hindu could not independently confirm if the two were hired by the firm. “The company lacks broad-mindedness. Whatever happened to Zeshan is wrong and totally unacceptable. Even if they give me a job now, I will reject it outright,” said Mr. Bansode.

After Mr. Khan received the damning rejection email from HKE, which later apologised to him attributing it to a mistake by a “trainee,” he posted it on his Facebook page where he received much support.

Though Mr. Khan’s ordeal enraged the two, they decided to visit the company’s office in suburban Mumbai on Wednesday to experience its work culture and find out why their friend was rejected.

“When we visited the office we got strong vibes from the place that it favoured only Hindus as employees. We cannot work in such an atmosphere,” said Mr. Pandey. The two also said they were put off by the company’s strict rules about vegetarianism and stringent working hours.

Meanwhile, the police, who on Thursday booked the company for allegedly hurting religious sentiments have begun probe into the case.

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