And if that headline makes you go ‘Kyaaa? (Whaaat?)’, you might be at risk of getting fired. The underlined American culture of ‘acceptance’ causes the firing of an Indian, and the events are extremely unfortunate.
The 78-year-old Indian-American was having a chat with his dying relative who lives in India. Now the worker from Alabama was, of course, using his mother tongue Hindi for the conversation. This event resulted in him being fired from a long-time job as an engineer with a missile defense contractor.
Anil Varshney recently filed a lawsuit, trying to fight the issue, as he has been left jobless since last October. A co-worker heard Anil talk to his dying brother-in-law over the call, and the Hindi part lasted for two minutes, apparently marked as the last call they had between them. Regarding the firing part, it is quoted that the other worker was “intimidated by Varshney speaking in a language he did not understand.”
The allegations are also coming that no investigation was conducted, and it was claimed that various security protocols were violated, resulting in the firing of the long-time employee. As soon as Anil was done with the call, he was escorted to the cubicle and was notified to pack his stuff up.
Anil has a brilliant work record, once receiving the “Contractor of the Year” award. Now an event like this will not only cause monetary damages but also result in mental damages as well.
Anil is reportedly looking to be reinstated to the job level and receive front pay, including benefits. He will also be fighting for collecting compensatory damages, including mental anguish and emotional distress, along with punitive and liquidated damages and attorneys’ fees.
