On Thursday, the Delhi-based brand's social media followers noticed that its Twitter page had liked a page called 'Saffron Love,' which often shares offensive posts against Muslims and other minority communities. Under the 'likes' button of the company's Twitter handle, several offensive tweets were found by social media users.
Chaayos CEO Nitin Saluja claimed that their Twitter account was hacked for about half an hour, when those tweets were liked. He said, "I want to personally ensure everyone that as a founder and as an organisation, we respect all faiths equally."
Later, those offensive tweets were removed from its 'likes'.
However, several netizens questioned the company's 'policy' and some demanded that the brand unfollow the 'offensive' handle.
‘Half an Hour’ Started on 2 May and Ended on 4 June? Asks User
Sharing a screenshot, one commented, "So is this official @Chaayos policy or some social media intern gone crazy?"
A user said, "Here's a company in India, @Chaayos amplifying hate speech and genocidal dehumanising rhetoric against minorities."
One person wrote:
"@Chaayossells prepared beverages to consumers. How can you assure us that you don't employ bigoted staff that may add dangerous substances to the orders of people bearing Muslim names or from other marginalized groups that they may have prejudices against?"
Meanwhile, one particular user claimed that Saluja's statement which said that the account was hacked for "about half an hour " was false, pointing out that the company's account liked tweets from 2 May, to as long as 4 June.
Social media users also questioned whether this is the official stand of the company.
Another user said, "Hello @Chaayos this is disgusting. Please let us know if this is your official stand?"
‘Offensive Tweet That Was Inadvertently Liked’: Chaayos Responds
A few hours later, Chaayos responded and released a statement, which said, "There was an offensive tweet that was inadvertently liked from our account. Chaayos detests and denies any view mentioned in the said tweet"
"We apologise to everyone and to those who were impacted by it," they added
The statement further added:
"We want to assure our guests and Team that as a responsible organisation we have always respected people of all faiths equally and shall continue to do so forever. We are investigating what led to this and shall take corrective action asap."
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