Zahid, a former online strategist and Google AdWords account manager, has come forward with detailed allegations of discrimination and unfair treatment during his tenure at Google India Private Limited.
The incidents, revealed by Zahid to The Kashmiriyat, spanning over 18 months, shed light on a series of discriminatory practices and psychological torment that have left Zahid seeking justice and redress.
“I worked for Google’s AdWords ETO team in Gurugram, India. Despite being recognized as a high achiever and dedicated employee, my experience was marred by discrimination based on my identity as a Kashmiri Muslim,” Zahid revealed, detailing the challenges he faced while working for the tech giant.
The discrimination allegedly began with provocative discussions initiated by middle management and coworkers, urging Zahid to engage in politically sensitive conversations about the conflict-ridden region of Kashmir. One notable incident occurred in September 2014 when Zahid’s office phone was adorned with a note reading ‘Hindustan Zindabad’ (Long live India), a gesture questioning his integrity in racial and religious terms.
Zahid reported this incident to his Google reporting manager, but claims his concerns were met with no action and, instead, led to further ridicule. “If you don’t say Hindustan Zindabad, your sale won’t be updated,” he was allegedly taunted.
In January 2015, Zahid faced another ordeal when he received a direct third-level performance-based warning letter, dated January 25, 2015. This evaluation coincided with a public holiday, as January 25 fell on a Sunday, and January 26 was India’s Republic Day. Despite the public holiday, Zahid claims to have been handed the warning letter as a ‘gift’ in a room booked by Google ETO after a potential complaint from Google India.
Despite enduring this psychological torture, Zahid continued to contribute as a top performer. However, in July 2015, he faced further challenges when he was told that higher authorities at Google had complained about his actions. This led to threats, coercion, and eventually being forced to submit his resignation along with a written confession of engaging in an alleged illegal practice.
Refusing to comply with the forced confession, Zahid claims he faced harassment, threats, and the confiscation of his Google access card, ultimately leading to his exit from Google premises “Subsequently, I discovered that Google Mountain View, California, erased his employee details from the intranet approximately 11 days before my resignation, without affording my an opportunity to be heard,” Zahid told The Kashmiriyat.
“My dues were not paid in full, and I have been blacklisted in Google, leaving my career in ruins,” Zahid lamented.
Legal Battle
In November 2015, Zahid initiated legal action against Google India and Serco by serving them with a legal notice from Kashmir detailing the circumstances surrounding his forced resignation. “Unfortunately, they did not respond to this initial legal communication. Faced with silence, I escalated the matter to Google’s leadership in California, seeking intervention and justice for what I perceived as discriminatory practices and unfair expulsion, ahid said.
He said that assurances were provided by Google’s California leadership that they would thoroughly examine his case. Following the appropriate protocol, they transferred Zahid’s case to the relevant department at Google Singapore. “However, the response from Google India and Serco, when it eventually came, was characterized by a threatening and diplomatic tone, presenting what I believe were half-truths and falsified facts,” Zahid alleged.
Attempting to address these concerns through ongoing email correspondence with Google Singapore proved to be unproductive, he claimed. Instead of acknowledging the issues at hand, they aligned themselves with Google India’s response, effectively washing their hands of the matter and advising Zahid to contact Serco for resolution regarding discriminatory practices at Google India’s office.
“In response to this impasse, I communicated my stance to Google California through email, explicitly expressing my preference for an internal investigation by Google-plex rather than pursuing a legal battle. Despite this plea, the senior official from Google leadership, merely assured me that my concerns would be taken into account by Google Singapore,” said Mir Zahid.
“However, ” he said, “Singapore’s subsequent response was disheartening.”
“They declared their unwillingness to engage further on the matter, asserting their right to respond only to subsequent legal proceedings. This left me with no alternative but to seek legal redress and access any competent forum for assistance in addressing the injustices I believed I had suffered, claimed the Srinagar man.
Adding another layer of complexity to the situation, in May 2017, Google India’s PR head, made a statement to an online media firm in Srinagar, In this statement, the spokesperson said, “Mr. Mir was not, at any time, employed by us nor on our payrolls. Having said that Google is committed to providing a safe and conducive work environment for everyone. Towards this at the time of his departure from the payroll of our vendor he had raised the issue directly to us and at that time we had, as our records indicate resolved the issue in accordance with our standard policies and procedures and to his satisfaction.”
“I found this assertion to be entirely fraudulent and false, prompting me to seek clarification from both Google and the media outlet. Unfortunately, my inquiries received no response, raising serious concerns about the accuracy and integrity of the information being presented to the public regarding the resolution of my case,” Zahid told The Kashmiriyat.
In December 2018, the Labour Court of Haryana reportedly closed Zahid’s case, citing closure in the presence of his legal representative. However, Zahid claims to have no information about this development.
Zahid has also sought justice by writing to the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in Srinagar and the Cyber Police. “So far”, he claims, he has not received any response from either authority.
In January 2019, Zahid applied for legal aid, leading to the assignment of a lawyer, Mr. Abhimanyu. However, the legal process took a turn for the worse as Zahid was referred from the National Commission of Minority to the Supreme Court, with allegations of delay tactics and a lack of due diligence in addressing his case.
In a desperate attempt to draw attention to his plight, Zahid conducted a press conference in Mohali. However, the event did not receive any coverage on mainstream channels.
“I request you to kindly go through the above-mentioned details and help me in raising my issue so that justice prevails,” Zahid implored, seeking public attention and intervention to address the reported discrimination at one of the world’s leading tech companies.