Punish firm for discrimination against Zeshan Ali Khan, NGO tells PM

The All India Milli Council (AIMC), an NGO, on Saturday demanded that the license of the diamond firm that allegedly denied a job to a Muslim man on the basis of his religion be impounded.

The All India Milli Council (AIMC), an NGO, on Saturday demanded that the license of the diamond firm that allegedly denied a job to a Muslim man on the basis of his religion be impounded.

It made the appeal in a letter addressed to the prime minister, the chief minister and the National Commission for Minorities, among others, while condemning the alleged discrimination by Hari Krishna Exports Pvt Ltd against Zeshan Ali Khan, 23, who had applied for a marketing job with the company.

The letter stated that the council wanted the government to set a precedent with Hari Krishna Exports to discourage other firms from discriminating on the basis of religion.

The council announced this at a press conference on Saturday. At the same event, businessman Parvez S Lakdawala, who is also the president of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), announced jobs for 10 non-Muslims in his companies on a first-come-first-serve basis in the coming days.

“Such discrimination is rampant. This case has only brought it to light,” he said. “My companies employ over 500 people, almost 60% of whom are non-Muslims,” added Lakdawala, owner of the Grace group of companies.

He said the aim of the move was to build religious harmony and strengthen ties between Hindus and Muslims in Mumbai.

On May 19, Khan, a resident of Father Peter Road in Kurla (West), and two of his friends — Mukundmani Pandey and Omkar Bansode — had emailed their resumes to the diamond firm.

While Pandey and Bansode were called in for interviews the next day, Khan received a letter saying the company hired only non-Muslims. Khan posted it on social media and it quickly went viral.

The next day, in solidarity with their friend, Pandey and Bansode decided not to join Hari Krishna Exports.