Kansas University denies a former associate vice provost’s claims that he was harassed because of his religion and race and ultimately fired for making complaints.

KU responded this week to the federal lawsuit filed in December by Dilawar Grewal, who was hired in 2009 to be KU’s director of research information technology services and was later promoted.

Grewal in his lawsuit alleges that he was fired in November 2009 after complaining to university officials that he had become the subject of “open racial and religious slurs in the workplace,” including being referred to as “looking like a terrorist.”

But KU officials have said Grewal’s claims are unfounded and in their response they denied Grewal’s version of several events, including an allegation that a co-worker once pulled his pony tail and said people were likely to see him as “a terrorist.”

Grewal, who is currently listed as an associate provost at Wagner University in New York, is a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in India and a member of the Sikh religion, according to the suit.

“Any adverse employment action taken against (Grewal) was taken based on legitimate business-related reasons, unrelated to (Grewal’s) race, color, religion or natural origin,” KU’s attorney Sara Trower wrote.

KU has requested the suit be tried in U.S. District Court in Topeka.