Roshan* has worked as an assistant manager at the Ernakulam branch of Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) for over three years. But over the past year, despite his managerial role, he found himself tasked with buying tea and snacks for colleagues, watering office plants, and even running personal errands for his senior officer, Kashmeer Singh, the Assistant General Manager (AGM). “I have been told to buy ayurvedic medicines for the AGM’s daughter, who had come from the United States. On another occasion, I was told to go to a bank to activate Singh’s wife’s account,” Roshan says.
According to him, these tasks go far beyond his job description, and the sole reason behind this harassment, he believes, was that he belonged to a Scheduled Caste (SC).
A native of Ernakulam’s Mulakupadam, Roshan joined IOB in 2013, and worked in Chennai for eight years before he was transferred to Ernakulam. He alleges that over the past year, both AGM Kashmeer Singh, a native of Uttar Pradesh, and Chief Regional Manager (CRM) Nitesh Kumar Sinha, a native of Bihar, harassed him on the basis of caste. He also says that the police delayed registering a First Information Report (FIR) when he complained, even suggesting to him that he withdraw the complaint. Even after the police booked the senior officials, an internal inquiry punished Roshan by transferring him to Ahmedabad, over what he says is a “false allegation”.
‘Relentlessly harassed’
“Since Kashmeer Singh was new to the city when he joined the Ernakulam branch, I had initially helped him with everything. However, he soon began to take advantage of that.”
The office has peons and other temporary staff who are meant to do some of the chores that the AGM made Roshan do. “But Kashmeer Singh would never ask them to do anything,” alleges Roshan.
He tells TNM that the additional tasks he was given at work started to interfere with his assigned responsibilities. “He didn’t let me do my assigned work during my working hours. So, I had to stay back late to complete my work,” he says, adding, “In my career spanning 11 years, I haven’t faced such harassment at work from anyone else.”
Reporting the harassment to the higher-ups caused more trouble than relief for Roshan. When he approached CRM Nitesh Kumar Sinha, he allegedly insulted Roshan by saying, “People of your caste are not suited for bank jobs, but for the kind of chores that Kashmeer Singh assigns to you.”
Roshan adds that Kashmeer Singh would often hurl casteist slurs in Hindi at him, even in front of CRM Nitesh Kumar, who did nothing to stop it. “In fact, the CRM would pressure me to do whatever Kashmeer Singh had asked me to do,” he says.
“If I didn't do the things he asked for, he would pester me by repeatedly coming to my cabin and asking why I hadn’t done it. During lunch breaks, Kashmeer Singh would sit on my chair and engage in conversation with the other employees. He wouldn’t leave the chair even after I returned, making me wait on the side until he left.”
He says he didn’t receive any support from his colleagues either. “Nobody in my office stood with me when the harassment occurred. Maybe they were scared.”
‘Falsely framed for complaining’
The discrimination and harassment took a turn for the worse on August 7, 2024. “When I refused to do some chore he had assigned to me, Kashmeer Singh hit me on my back. Even though he is nearly 58 years old, he is physically strong. The pain was so extreme that even after two days, I had to seek treatment at Ernakulam General Hospital,” he alleges.
Since no action was taken against the AGM after he reported the incident to the CRM, he filed a complaint with the police on September 1. However, he was threatened with consequences by Kashmeer Singh, and so he decided against getting an FIR registered. “I was scared. My wife and I went to the police station that same night and told the officers that we didn’t want to file the FIR just then, and that we would go ahead with the case in case harassment persisted,” he says.
Later in November, the bank suspended Roshan for two months, because he allegedly sent a confidential file to two other officers in the bank, and also allegedly forwarded it through WhatsApp groups. Roshan denies the allegations.
‘Police advised to withdraw complaint’
Even though he was aware that he wouldn’t be supported by his colleagues, Roshan says that he decided to fight the case nevertheless. On December 10, Roshan filed another complaint with the police. But this time, he alleges, the police themselves delayed registering the FIR.
“After the cops visited the office and spoke with the AGM and the CRM, they told me that the best thing I could do would be to withdraw the case,” he says.
Speaking to TNM, C Jayakumar, the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Ernakulam Central Subdivision), says he has not received any complaint regarding the police officer’s conduct during the investigation.
On December 23, the Ernakulam Central police registered an FIR, booking both Kashmeer Singh and Nitesh Kumar under Sections 3(1)(r) (insult or intimidation of an SC/ST member in public), 3(1)(s) (caste-based abuse in public), 3(2)(va) (punishment for offences against members of SC/ ST) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
In the meantime, Kashmeer Singh was transferred to the head office in Chennai, but this transfer was not as part of any disciplinary action initiated for the alleged caste harassment, explains Roshan’s wife Rohini*.
‘Internal inquiry biased’
Rohini says that during the bank’s inquiry against Roshan, the couple requested to be shown the evidence incriminating him. “They provided the content of an email that was allegedly sent by Roshan, when in fact he had not sent it. They never provided any evidence for the allegation about WhatsApp messages.”
“Roshan did no wrong. But he was not even given a chance to make a statement. The bank inquiry never asked for his version,” she tells TNM.
She adds that during the bank inquiry, the physical assault he endured was also discussed. Even though many of his colleagues said they had witnessed it, she says, the report stated that Kashmeer Singh had merely patted Roshan on the back.
After the inquiry was concluded, Roshan was allegedly handed a punishment transfer to Ahmedabad and was not to be allowed increments for 15 years.
He then approached the Kerala High Court, asking that his version also be heard during the bank’s inquiry. The court ordered that he should be heard, following which a meeting was conducted in the bank where Roshan spoke. Even after this, the final report upheld the punishment.
Following this, Roshan wrote to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and former state minister for SC/ST Welfare and K Radhakrishnan MP. He says that he has been assured of action by MP Radhakrishnan.
Roshan is expected to join the Ahmedabad branch in February, but he has still not joined the role. Currently, he is living in uncertainty as he expects to face further disciplinary action for this as well.
In Rohini’s words, “We are not aware of the punishment that the law prescribes for caste discrimination and physical abuse, but we want them to be given the highest possible punishment.”
*Names changed to protect identity