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Journalism of Courage
Mohammed Nizamuddin, a 30-year-old software engineer from Mahabubnagar, Telangana, was shot dead by police in California earlier this month. In the weeks before his death, he had publicly alleged severe harassment and racial discrimination at work and at home, even claiming that his food had been poisoned.
In a LinkedIn post, Nizamuddin described himself as a “victim of racial hatred” and called for an end to what he termed “white supremacy/racist white American mentality.” He wrote: “I have been a victim of racial hatred, racial discrimination, racial harassment, torture, wage-fraud, wrongful termination and obstruction of Justice… Enough is enough. Oppression of corporate tyrants must end.”
Nizamuddin said he had been working at Google via the US-based software services firm EPAM Systems, accusing both the company and his colleagues of hostility and underpayment. “In addition to that the company committed a salary fraud… They altogether wrongfully terminated my employment,” he alleged. After losing his job, he said the intimidation continued through a “racist detective and team” and escalated until he was evicted.
EPAM Systems, a US-based software engineering services firm and a Google Cloud partner, has so far not responded to the allegations, according to information available on its website.
In his post, Nizamuddin identified his “colleagues, employer, client, detective and their community” as the main aggressors. “It is happening with me today, and it can happen with anyone tomorrow,” he warned, urging the world to demand justice.
Nizamuddin had earned a master’s degree in computer science from a college in Florida before moving to Santa Clara, California, to work in the tech industry. His family described him as a quiet, religious man who had repeatedly raised concerns about discrimination, wage fraud and wrongful termination.
His father, Mohammed Hasnuddin, said he was informed of his son’s death only on Thursday, though the shooting reportedly took place on September 3 following a “scuffle” with a roommate. He has appealed to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to help bring his son’s body back to India.
