A 78-year-old Indian-American engineer lost his job with a missile defense contractor in Alabama, USA. He was fired for speaking in Hindi while video-calling his dying relative in India.
The engineer’s name is Anil Varshney, and he worked as a Senior Systems Engineer for Parsons Corporation in Huntsville.
He filed a federal lawsuit, claiming he faced discriminatory actions that led to his job loss in October of the previous year.
According to AL.COM’s report on Monday, a white co-worker overheard Varshney speaking in Hindi while on a phone call with his dying brother-in-law, K.C. Gupta, in India.
The call occurred on September 26, 2022, and Gupta, on his deathbed, wanted to bid farewell to Varshney.
“Knowing the dire situation and that he may never have the opportunity to speak to (Gupta) again, Varshney stepped into an empty cubicle and accepted the call,” the suit said.
“Before doing so, he made sure there were no classified materials or anything else about MDA’s (Missile Defence Agency) or Parsons’ work anywhere near him,” said the lawsuit, which also names Secretary of Defence Lloyd J. Austin as legal representative for the MDA.
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During the video call with his dying brother-in-law, which took place for about two minutes, Varshney conversed in Hindi.
However, their conversation was interrupted by another co-worker who inquired if he was on a video call, to which Varshney confirmed.
This incident was mentioned in the lawsuit filed in June in the northern district of Alabama.
“(The other worker) told Varshney that the call was not allowed, and Varshney immediately hung up. The call was the last time they spoke before Gupta passed away.”
The suit claims the other worker was “intimidated by Varshney speaking in a language he did not understand” and “falsely and intentionally” reported that the Indian-American “committed a security violation by revealing confidential information and accepting this call during a confidential meeting or with confidential information in the background.”
“Varshney accepted the call from his brother-in-law in an empty cubicle and spoke to him for approximately two minutes,” reads the lawsuit.
“Despite there being no policy prohibiting the call, and without any investigation, the defendants claimed Varshney committed a serious security violation and fired him. Worse, they blackballed him from future [Missile Defence Agency] work, effectively ending his career and life of service to MDA and the US government,” the lawsuit said.
The suit added that in a call, Parsons informed Varshney that his “privileges at MDA [had] been revoked” and told him to meet the supervisor at the office.
“When Varshney arrived, (the supervisor) and MDA security personnel met him in the lobby, escorted him to his cubicle, and instructed him to pack up his personal belongings,” the suit said.
“MDA security personnel opened and searched through every file in his cubicle and through his personal belongings. Varshney was humiliated, and the defendants essentially accused him of being a spy simply for speaking in a foreign language to a dying family member.”
In a response filed with the court on July 24, Parsons said it “denies it engaged in any of the wrongdoing alleged by plaintiff or that plaintiff is entitled to any relief whatsoever.”
According to the report, Parsons requested the lawsuit’s dismissal with prejudice and asked Varshney to cover their attorneys’ fees and costs.
AL.COM has not received a response yet from Birmingham attorney Sharon L. Miller, who represents Parsons.
After settling in Huntsville, Varshney moved to the US in 1968 and became an American citizen. His wife, Sashi, has been working at NASA since 1989.
Varshney was once lauded as “Contractor of the Year” in systems engineering and received a letter of MDA recommendation “for saving USD 5 million on the ground-based missile defense program.”.
The lawsuit said he provided “engineering support for developing integrated and layered missile defense systems that defend the United States and allied partner forces against ballistic missile threats.”
The suit says Varshney seeks reinstatement to a position “comparable to his former position,” the reinstatement of privileges, and the revocation (or removal) of any disciplinary records in his file.
If he is not reinstated to his job level, Varshney seeks “front pay, including benefits”.
According to the report, he also seeks compensatory damages for “mental anguish and emotional distress,” along with punitive and liquidated damages and attorneys’ fees.
(With PTI inputs)
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Source: vtt.edu.vn