A former BBC production manager has claimed she was racially discriminated against when applying for a new job at the company, where bosses ‘laughed’ at her Indian accent.
Malika Keswani was being interviewed for the BBC Sport Production role in Salford, Manchester, where she alleged the all-white panel ‘subtly laughed’ at her while trying to contain their amusement, according to MailOnline.
She was rejected for the job in February 2020 and claimed she hired an ‘accent coach’ and became ‘increasingly anxious and overwhelmed at work’.
Keswani alleged the broadcaster of being “racially biased” and is seeking a pay-out from her former employers at a London tribunal.
“I was concerned they wanted to keep me in the World Service to meet diversity targets,” she was quoted as saying by the paper.
“I kept being asked to interviews so the BBC could meet its requirement to interview a diverse candidate.
“My grievance reflected my own experiences and the biased and unfair recruitment process I was subject to, but also highlighted wider diversity issues across the BBC.”
Keswani said had she been “scored fairly”, she would have been ranked as an equal to second-placed candidates, meaning the BBC would have to give her the job under the Equality Act 2010 as she is non-white.
Instead, the job vacancy was filled with a white woman after she was unfairly marked down at the interview.
The interview panel, which consisted of BBC Sport heads of manufacturing, Debbie Dubois and Rachel Wright and lead expertise supervisor Mel Adams, modified her scores after they gave her interview suggestions, she claimed.
Dubois, Adams and Wright all stated they by no means mocked Keswani’s accent and that she was not marked down unfairly.
Keswani said she felt “pigeon holed” into the World Service as that was where her 'face fits', and said bosses did not give her any career development support because they were worried no one had the skills to replace her in her existing job.
She was passed over for other jobs at the broadcaster's Arabic service, Africa service and Panorama during the second half of 2019, and on the first day of lockdown in 2020, she even asked to cover for colleagues in current affairs who got ill with coronavirus or had to isolate.
Her line manager was said to have been particularly hostile to any move and claimed she was never offered mentoring despite repeated requests.
Keswani said: “The BBC's failure to make reasonable adjustments only exacerbated my anxiety and my anxiety disorder was diagnosed as PTSD in October 2020.
“The impact on my health was unbearable at the BBC and I had come to the role with the hope of making a difference.”
She added: “I had been under the impression the BBC was an equal opportunities employer, but I had faced nothing but barriers and suppression.
“My resignation made it clear that I considered I had been discriminated against as a result of being a BAME employee and the BBC was failing in its efforts to be inclusive.”
The BBC were approached and denies her claims and the tribunal continues.
Kulsuma Aktergetty images