Zomato delivery Boy coerced to remove Santa costume by right-wing activists in Indore | Indore News – Times of India

Screengrab from viral video

INDORE: A video of a man believed to be a delivery agent for Zomato being coaxed to remove a Santa Claus costume by right-wing activists in Indore went viral on social media on Thursday, a day after Christmas.

The delivery agent, who identifies himself in the video as Arjun, claimed he was wearing the costume as part of Zomato’s drive on Christmas. Other delivery agents were also seen in the video without the costume. He was confronted by Sumit Hardia, district convenor of Hindu Jagaran Manch, and asked to remove the costume. “Do you ever dress as Lord Ram on Diwali while delivering orders?” he asked.

Following the exchange, the agent removed the Santa Claus outfit and was told, “If you want to inspire others, dress as Bhagat Singh or Chandrashekhar Azad.” Zomato, on its X handle, confirmed distributing the costumes to its delivery agents and also asked customers to share photographs once they spot such an agent. The company has not responded to the video till now.
Hardia told TOI he was passing through the Bhanwarkuan area on Wednesday when he saw the delivery agent in a Santa Claus costume, after which he approached him and asked why he was doing it. “He said that he was asked by his company to wear the costume while distributing orders on Christmas. I asked him to remove it because this goes against our culture. The decision makers at Zomato should have an unbiased attitude and do such things for all the religions and festivals equally,” said Hardia.
He added that the delivery agent was hesitant at first. “He said that he would lose his job if he removed the costume. We told him that it was his duty to deliver service and he should just do that properly,” Hardia told TOI.
ACP Juni Indore Devendra Singh Dhurve said it was not clear if the incident occurred in Bhanwarkuan. “I sent a team to the spot where the video was believed to be shot, but it is not clear yet. We have not received any complaint in the case yet,” said Dhurve.