The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) has dismissed a caste discrimination case against two Indian-origin Cisco engineers. A mediation conference between Cisco and the CRD is still set for May 2.
The case was filed against Sundar Iyer and one Ramana Kompella in June 2020 for supposedly discriminating against a ‘self-identifying Dalit’. CRD, an agency of the California State Government, had allegedly made false claims about Hinduism, besides depicting people of Indian origin as ‘xenophobic.’
It has also been observed that the case was used by caste baiters and ‘activists’ to pass resolutions to add ‘caste’ to non-discrimination policies at US colleges and universities.
The lawsuit against Cisco and its engineers fuelled a movement against caste discrimination led by groups including Thenmozhi Soundararajan’s Equality Labs, which is a Dalit-led advocacy group. This lawsuit has also been named in the first-ever ordinance passed by the Seattle City Council in February to include caste in anti-discrimination laws.
According to HAF (Hindu American Foundation), the agency of the California State Government ignored the fact that Sundar Iyer publicly identified as ‘agnostic’ for over 20 years. CRD went on to falsely identify him as a ‘Hindu’ and relied upon misguiding ‘reports’ published by Equality Labs.
The HAF filed a claim in US District Court asserting that CRD’s case against Cisco and the engineers infringed on the civil rights of Hindus living in California by “unconstitutionally and falsely” asserting that Hinduism mandates caste discrimination. HAF’s filing took no position on the facts of the case.
Meanwhile, Suhag Shukla, HAF’s executive director, said, “Two Indian-Americans endured a nearly three-year nightmare of unending investigations, a brutal online witch hunt, and a presumption of guilt in the media after the CRD sullied their reputation alleging that they engaged in discrimination based on caste.”
According to court filings, Iyer, the CEO of the division, was accused of harassment on the basis of caste despite evidence that he actively recruited “John Doe,” who self-identifies as Dalit and on whose behalf CRD filed suit, and offered Doe a generous starting package with stock grants valued in the millions.
In a statement, HAF said these same court records showed that Iyer also hired at least one other self-identified Dalit who held one of the only three leadership positions in the division. This individual was also offered the other two leadership positions, including the one John Doe claimed discrimination over, prior to Doe filing his discrimination complaint, HAF said.
“This trial presents a cautionary tale of the legal morass that awaits Indians, Hindus and all South Asians, if the State of California adopts a policy that applies to only South Asians and institutionalised false and negative claims that stigmatise our community,” said Samir Kalra, HAF’s California based managing director.
“If you want to know why we’re opposed to ethnically profiling South Asians with the creation of caste as a stand-alone category, this case launched by the CRD is a brutal illustration of a fate that can befall any South Asian working in the state,” he said. The Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) welcomed the dismissal of the case.
