Bengaluru CEO says company will not hire men from UP, Bihar, Rajasthan and MP, sparks debate over workplace safety and bias
A Bengaluru-based entrepreneur has triggered an online debate after saying his company would stop hiring male candidates from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. Karthik SG, also known as Karthik Shenoy, the founder and CEO of A1 Sports World, announced the decision in a post on X, stating that it followed a lengthy internal discussion and disagreement. The announcement quickly attracted widespread attention, with many social media users questioning and criticising the company’s proposed hiring policy.
What Karthik Shenoy said in his post
In his post, Shenoy wrote, “I’m sorry for this…But today we have made it very clear after lengthy discussion and quarrel… We will not hire any male candidates in our company who come from these 4 states in North India…Uttar Pradesh.Rajasthan.Bihar.Madhya Pradesh.We do have 1 Rajasthani already working for us. She has 100% supposed this.”The post was shared on September 22 and quickly attracted attention because it announced a hiring restriction based on both gender and state of origin. Reports identified Shenoy as the founder of A1 Sports World, a Bengaluru-based company involved in sports programmes and related activities. The company’s LinkedIn page lists its headquarters in Bengaluru and describes it as a privately held sports business. The announcement also led to questions about whether individual candidates should be judged according to their qualifications and conduct rather than where they come from. Several social media users criticised the decision as a broad generalisation about men from four states.
CEO cites alleged misconduct by former employee
Shenoy later explained that the decision followed an incident involving a former employee. According to reports quoting his subsequent posts, he alleged that the employee was an MBA graduate whose résumé and background checks had appeared clean when he was hired. Shenoy claimed that, after about two months, the employee began behaving abusively towards female employees despite warnings. He further alleged that the employee attempted to force himself on one female colleague. These allegations have not been independently verified, and no details of any legal proceedings were established in the reports reviewed.He also emphasised that A1 Sports World works with young children and said the safety of employees and the children associated with the company’s programmes was a priority. The incident appears to have shaped the company’s stated approach to hiring, but the decision to apply that experience broadly to male candidates from four entire states has become the main point of controversy.
Safety concerns versus blanket hiring restrictions
The controversy has raised a wider question about how companies should respond to workplace safety concerns. Ensuring that employees are protected from harassment and misconduct is a legitimate workplace priority. At the same time, critics argue that screening applicants based on their state of origin risks treating an entire group as responsible for the alleged behaviour of one individual. The debate is therefore no longer limited to one company’s hiring decision. It has expanded into a discussion about workplace safety, recruitment practices, regional identity and whether employers should assess candidates individually.Shenoy has reportedly said he stands by the decision despite the criticism. In another post, he reiterated his concerns about the former employee and the safety of his team. For now, the policy remains a statement made publicly by the company’s founder, and its broader implementation or legal implications were not independently established in the sources reviewed. What is clear is that the announcement has opened a contentious conversation about where employers should draw the line between protecting employees and making blanket judgments about potential hires.
