Gandhinagar (Gujarat): In a post uploaded on social media that is going viral, Vice President at JP Morgan, Anirudh Kejriwal who chose Gujarat over Singapore, has publicly expressed his distress over alleged caste discrimination he faced during house hunting in the city.
In a tweet on X, Anirudh tagged the Gujarat Police, Gujarat BJP, the Chief Minister of Gujarat, and other stakeholders and shared his struggle. The JP Morgan Vice President wrote, “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". However, he added that his excitement turned to heartbreak.
He fell prey to Caste prejudice in Sant Vihar 1 Society in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, the CEO alleged. He said the society's management turned him down "citing his caste" when he tried to purchase an apartment in the city. According to him, the chairman and management of the organisation publicly declared that they would not permit members of "other" castes to buy flats.
The JP Morgan vice president has said in the post that he would take legal action to recover his rights.
"The situation escalated quickly with nearly 30 people gathering, threatening me with dire consequences if I proceeded," Anirudh Kejriwal wrote.
"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," Anirudh Kejriwal wrote. This post has garnered angry outbursts from the social media circles. Several users have come out in support of him and have slammed the society management and the accused for carrying out such atrocities.
One user wrote, "I’m not surprised, despite all the claims of modernity the thinking of many people here is extremely backward. Caste-based discrimination is rampant in the real estate market". Another posted, "i'm really sorry what you had to go through @CMOGuj @CollectorGnr @GandhinagarMC @SP_Gandhinagar. Citizens are facing caste based discrimination in purchasing property. Take necessary action. @adhirasy @kumarmanish9. kindly amplify the message."
Another user commented, "Surprised as for the first time in the history Gujarat has relaxed its prohibition policy just for GIFT city. All this proves how deeply rooted casteist society we are. Hope your issue gets resolved soon. Discrimination based on religion or caste is a disgrace for GIFT City," a user said.
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