A massive controversy blew up inside India's Silicon Valley after a Bengaluru-based private company promoted a job advertisement that clearly discriminates against local applicants. The company, based in the city's J.P. Nagar area, Skillsonics, has set off a firestorm of outrage on social media as it posts openings on the recruitment site Naukri.com mentioned its preference for those who are not from the local language and do not speak Kannada.
The Controversial Job Posting
A recruitment notice had been sent from HR to hire candidates for a Human Resources (HR) position, specifically with the alarming callout "Non-Kannada HR Required" in it. Additionally, the ad indicated that preference would be granted to candidates who had no familiarity with the Kannada language. Screenshots of the listing started to circulate on X (formerly Twitter) and WhatsApp, striking a deep chord among the local populace.
A company headquartered in the heart of Karnataka’s capital attempting to formally sideline those who speak the state's official language is being treated as an insult to the land and its people. Outrage Among Kannadigas. This clause, “Non-Kannada”, has become a flash point in the protests from pro-Kannada activists and everyone else.
The question is posed: how can a firm that operates in Karnataka, leveraging the state’s infrastructure and resources, legally or ethically shut out those who live, work, or otherwise interact with the workforce? “This is a brazen act of hubris and linguistic discrimination,” tweeted a Kannada activist of note. “One company located in J.P. Nagar, it wants people who don’t speak the local language managing their HR? So it is more than a job – it is a systematic exclusion without limits for Kannadigas in their house.”
The reaction on social media has been swift and harsh. The #BoycottSkillsonics hashtag has started to trend after users called in Karnataka Labour Department and Minister for Kannada and Culture to take immediate and decisive action against the firm.
Legal and Ethical Considerations
The timing of this question is particularly sensitive. The Karnataka Government has been increasingly calling for the implementation of the Sarojini Mahishi Report to increase the proportion of jobs that be provided for locals available for private sector employment. Legal scholars argue that even though private companies have some freedom to dictate skill standards, dismissing someone because they don’t know the local language or aren’t fluent might seem discriminatory.
Moreover, a job that the HR professional will do is communicating with your staff – and you are a non-employee in a state like Karnataka, being able to communicate with local staff can often be considered as a drawback instead of a qualification. Company Under Pressure. In the wake of viral outrage, it has been reported that the company has removed the advertisement from the job portal.
But the harm to its reputation seems deep. Bengaluru residents have called on management behind Skillsonics to issue an unconditional apology, and some groups threaten to protest away from the company's J.P. Nagar office if they're not given a clear answer. The incident rekindled a long-ongoing debate about how the “insider vs. outsider” dynamic in Bengaluru’s corporate environment should be managed, and put pressure on the government to ensure that the rights and opportunities of people here are protected in the private sector.
