A man working as Vice President in JP Morgan has alleged that he faced caste discrimination while trying to buy a house in Gandhinagar's GIFT City.
Anirudh Kejriwal claimed that he was not allowed to buy a house because he was not a Gujarati and the residents of the housing complex also asked him for a caste certificate.
'After living in Mumbai for years, I decided to move to Gujarat, choosing it over an opportunity in Singapore. I was captivated by the promise of GIFT City and the grand vision our PM and government laid out for us. It inspired me so much that I took a big step and decided to buy my first house here, dreaming of a future filled with hope and growth. But, my excitement has turned to heartbreak. I'm facing unexpected challenges with my dream home, barred from moving in, not because of anything I've done, but because I wasn't born Gujarati,' he tweeted.
The top executive at JP Morgan added that the experience was nothing short of a nightmare.
'Worse yet, I'm warned that even if I manage to get in, happiness will be out of reach, and troubles will follow. It's a bitter pill to swallow. Choosing Gujarat, leaving behind my life in Mumbai and the chance to move to Singapore, I never thought I'd face such discrimination. This experience has been nothing short of a nightmare. The pain of facing such open casteism, in a place I chose with hope, is indescribable,' Kejriwal added.
He tagged the Gujarat Police, Gandhinagar Police, Gujarat Chief Minister and others in his posts.
'Shocked to face blatant caste discrimination in Sant Vihar 1 Society, Gandhinagar, Gujarat. My attempt to buy a flat turned into a nightmare as society's management is barring my entry due to caste,' Kejriwal tweeted.
He said that he had paid a 'significant advance' and negotiations were on for the final deed but the seller 'evaded' giving him a 'No Objection Certificate' from the society.
'My concerns were confirmed when the society’s chairman and management openly stated their refusal to allow people from ‘other’ castes to move in. In the heart of Gujarat, this open discrimination left me in disbelief,' one of this tweets read.
'The situation escalated quickly with nearly 30 people gathering, threatening me with dire consequences if I proceeded. They demanded proofs of ancestry and caste, to which, under pressure, I complied, hoping for a resolution,' he further wrote.
Kejriwal said that he was seeking legal recourse but the 'incident raises a bigger question about societal norms and the real progress we have made towards eradicating caste discrimination.'