New Delhi: Bengaluru-based entrepreneur Karthik SG, founder of A1 Sports World, has triggered a heated online debate after announcing that his company will no longer recruit male candidates from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh or Bihar.
On Wednesday, Karthik posted on social media that the company had decided not to hire male candidates from these four states. The decision came after an internal discussion within his team over an incident involving a former employee whom he accused of inappropriate behaviour towards female colleagues.
“I’m sorry for this… But today we have made it very clear after lengthy discussion and quarrel… We will not hire any male candidates in our company who come from these four states in North India,” he said in a post on X, adding that female candidates from these states had supported the decision.
The decision, shared on social media, soon drew criticism from users who accused the company of regional bias and discriminatory hiring practices. Karthik also faced backlash from other entrepreneurs and CEOs.
Entrepreneur Aditya Arya questioned the decision, arguing that hiring decisions should be based on an individual’s competence and character rather than their state of origin.
“Imagine being so bad at hiring that instead of screening individuals for competence and character, you blacklist entire states. And then use one employee as a certificate of approval. This post says far more about your hiring process than it does about UP, Rajasthan, Bihar or MP”, he posted in response to Karthik’s post.
Another user on X called the decision “extremely ignorant, unprofessional and bigoted towards fellow Indians.
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Reason behind the decision
The debate and criticism over the hiring decision continued even after Karthik posted a series of replies defending the move.
He cited a recent incident involving a male employee from one of the four states, who was reportedly terminated after allegedly exhibiting abusive behaviour and harassing a female colleague.
“This mess started two weeks ago when an employee from one of the aforementioned states was fired. Despite giving him warnings twice, he was still abusive to female employees, and he was forcing himself on one of them, Karthik said. “Do you think men with this ideology and mindset even deserve opportunity?”
Karthik further defended the decision, saying it was taken after concerns raised by female employees and was intended to address what he described as workplace safety and behavioural issues.
Edited by Maryam Hassan