On the heels of a Twitter exchange, the IT-BPO major has let go of a discriminating employee

Information technology company Tech Mahindra has, on the back of a former employee’s sustained Twitter campaign, sacked a senior company official in charge of the training and diversity portfolio. The move came following a serious complaint of discrimination in the workplace.

The former employee, Gaurav Pramanik, worked with Tech Mahindra BSG, Noida, from 2012 to 2016, and had written to his former supervisor in question, Richa Gautam, post the September 6 Supreme Court verdict that partially struck down Section 377 of the IPC.

Mr. Pramanik accused Ms. Gautam of making “mocking judgements” on how his purported “effeminate” nature affected his work. He claimed she “mocked a religious minority and a sexual minority”, despite being a leader at a company that prides itself for inclusion and diversity.

Late on Saturday, Tech Mahindra announced on Twitter: “@gauravpramanik, arising out of an investigation carried out in the matter, the concerned employee has been separated from the employment of the company with immediate effect. At Tech Mahindra, we believe in diversity & inclusion & condemn discrimination of any kind in the workplace.” The action follows tweets by Anand Mahindra, chairperson of the Mahindra group, and C.P. Gurnani, CEO and MD of Tech Mahindra, in support of inclusivity.

The company’s website page that displayed Ms. Gautam’s credentials as heading ‘Training’ and the ‘Chief Diversity and Inclusion Office’ is no longer available.

The Hindu spoke to Mr. Pramanik, who is now based in Darjeeling, about Tech Mahindra’s response to his Twitter campaign. “A friend sent me a link to the tweet late last night,” he said.

“I would have expected Mr. Gurnani to reach out in some way, as he had tweeted to me last week.”

Asked what role he sees for himself with regard to a campaign against discrimination and harassment against the LGBT community, Mr. Pramanik said, “First let’s wait for Tech Mahindra’s official response. But since I have opened the Pandora’s Box, I wouldn’t mind working on calling out the bigots.”