New Delhi: A 78-year-old Indian-American has filed a federal lawsuit in America, alleging he was wrongfully terminated for talking in Hindi with a dying relative.
Plaintiff Anil Varshney has sued Alabama missile defence contractor Parsons Corporation and the US Defense Secretary Llyod J. Austin after being fired from his long-standing job.
Varshney, a senior systems engineer with Parsons Corporation, was asked to pack his things and leave office after a white co-worker heard him talking to his dying brother-in-law in Hindi over a video call.
According to the suit, Varshney received the call from his elderly brother-in-law K.C. Gupta on 26 September, 2022. Aware of his ailing relative’s condition and that this could be the last time both of them talked, Varshney moved into an empty cubicle to speak with Gupta for a few minutes.
The suit claims that the plaintiff ensured he did not have any classified materials related to the US government’s Missile Defence Agency (MDA) or Parson’s work around him as he took the call in the cubicle.
Varshney worked with the MDA and has now been blackballed, which has effectively ended his career and life of service to the United States government, the lawsuit claimed.
According to media reports, a white co-worker, who heard Varshney conversing in Hindi, told Varshney that the “call was not allowed” and then reported him for committing “a security violation by revealing confidential information and/or accepting this call during a confidential meeting or with confidential information in the background”.
The lawsuit says defendant Parsons accused Varshney of alleged security violation without any investigation or proof. The company has refuted the claims and has requested for the suit’s dismissal, demanding Varshney pay the attorney’s fees.
The lawsuit also names Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin as legal representative for MDA.
The 78-year old engineer, in his lawsuit, has demanded reinstatement to a position “comparable to his former position”, reinstatement privileges, and the revocation (or removal) of any disciplinary records in his file. In case the company refuses to do so, the former employee has sought “front pay including benefits”.
Varshney has also asked for compensatory damages for “mental anguish and emotional distress”, along with punitive and liquidated damages and attorneys’ fees.
Also read: Indian-origin man pleads guilty to smuggling people into US across Canadian border