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A Bengaluru entrepreneur’s announcement that his company would stop hiring men from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh has now led to a police complaint in Delhi. Advocate Akanksha Singh filed the complaint against A1 Sports World CEO Karthik Shenoy, alleging that his posts on X promoted hatred, enmity and discrimination against people from the four states.
Shenoy had announced the hiring decision in an X post on September 22, saying the company would not hire “any male candidates” from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. He said the decision followed a “lengthy discussion and quarrel” within the company.
The post went on to attract widespread attention and criticism online, with users questioning the decision to exclude candidates based on their gender and state of origin.
Shenoy later sought to explain the decision by referring to an alleged incident involving a former employee. He claimed that the employee, who was from one of the four states, had behaved abusively towards female employees despite being warned twice. He further alleged that the employee had attempted to force himself on a female colleague.
These allegations have not been independently verified.
In another post, Shenoy said the incident had prompted the company to reconsider its hiring approach because A1 Sports World works with young children. He also questioned whether men who hold such “ideology and mindset” should be given employment opportunities.
The entrepreneur also said that the company has 32 employees, including 14 women, and that 20 employees are from states outside southern India.
Singh, in her complaint, said the posts had a wide public reach and were capable of affecting perceptions of people from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. She described herself as a native of Uttar Pradesh and said she was filing the complaint as an “aggrieved citizen” as well as an advocate practising at the Delhi High Court.
The complaint alleges that Shenoy’s posts promoted enmity, fear and discrimination between people from the four states and those from other parts of India. Singh has asked the Delhi Police to register an FIR and take action under the provisions cited in her complaint.
The controversy comes amid wider online discussions around the safety of women and children following a video from Bihar’s Jamui district showing two minors being allegedly assaulted and harassed by a group of boys.
The school students, a teenage girl and her male friend, were stopped in Jamui on September 19. Videos that have since circulated show the group of men surrounding the two teenagers and preventing them from leaving. The boy is seen being slapped and pulled by his collar, while the girl is sexually harassed. In another clip, a man is seen carrying the girl away as the boy tries to intervene.
The three accused, who are also minors, have been arrested in connection with the incident, while a special investigation team has been formed to identify and apprehend the other suspects.
The incident has triggered widespread outrage and renewed discussions around the safety of women and girls.
