Cisco still faces caste bias suit; engineers’ case dismissed

The California Civil Rights Department has voluntarily dismissed its case alleging caste discrimination against two Cisco engineers, while still keeping alive its litigation against the Silicon Valley tech giant. The Civil Rights Department sent a statement to The Associated Press on Monday saying the case against Cisco “remains ongoing.” “We will continue to vigorously litigate the matter on behalf of the people of California,” it said, adding that it remains committed to “securing relief and ensuring company wide, corrective action.” A Cisco spokesperson declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation. The Civil Rights Department voluntarily dismissing its case against the two engineers is a vindication for activists who have held the position that “the state has no right to attribute wrongdoing to Hindu and Indian Americans simply because of their religion or ethnicity,” said Suhag Shukla, executive director of the Hindu American Foundation. Thenmozhi Soundararajan, founder and executive director of Equality Labs, a Dalit-led advocacy group, said last week’s action “does not change anything” including the fact that the Cisco case “has given so many Dalits the courage to come forward with their stories about caste discrimination in education, the medical and tech industries.” “This is not a loss, but progress,” she said.