Bengaluru CEO defends hiring ban on men from 4 North Indian states
Company cites workplace safety concerns after former employee allegedly behaved abusively with female staff
- Bengaluru firm bars male candidates from four North Indian states.
- CEO links policy to an alleged incident involving a former employee.
- Company says workplace and child safety influenced the decision.
- CEO says he will maintain the policy despite social media backlash.
GG News Bureau
Bengaluru, 26th Sept: A Bengaluru-based entrepreneur has defended his company’s decision not to hire male candidates from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, after the policy triggered criticism on social media.
Karthik SG, CEO of A1 Sports World, said the decision followed an alleged incident involving a former male employee who, according to him, behaved abusively towards female employees and allegedly attempted to force himself on one of them.
In posts on X, Karthik said the employee had been dismissed about two weeks earlier. He said the company works with young children and that the safety of its employees and the children it works with was a priority.
Karthik said the company has 32 employees, including 14 women, with several staff members having migrated from other states to work in Bengaluru. He said female employees had supported the decision to restrict recruitment from the four states.
Responding to criticism that the policy was discriminatory or “racist”, Karthik rejected the characterisation, saying the decision was “regionally biased”. He said the company had identified concerns about trust and workplace safety involving male candidates from the four states.
Karthik also said the company works with young children through sports training programmes, where trainers may need to physically guide children to correct their posture and movements. He cited the need for additional safeguards because children may not always be able to report inappropriate behaviour.
He said schools and parents working with A1 Sports World also seek female trainers, adding that the company was examining psychological screening methods that could be used during recruitment to assess candidates’ attitudes towards women and children.
Karthik said the decision was taken after discussions among employees and was linked to the company’s concerns about maintaining a safe workplace. He acknowledged that he could apologise for the social media post but said he intended to retain the hiring policy.
The controversy has prompted debate over whether employers can exclude job applicants on the basis of their state of origin and whether concerns arising from individual incidents can justify broad recruitment restrictions.
The CEO’s comments, as reported by NDTV, reflect his explanation for the policy and allegations concerning the former employee; the claims about the employee’s conduct have not been independently established in the material provided.
