Leading Swedish home retailer IKEA on Sunday, 28 August, responded to allegations of racist conduct in its Hyderabad outlet, saying that they regretted "the inconvenience caused" to the complainant "while following the mandatory billing protocol."
Journalist Nitin Sethi, in a tweet earlier on Sunday, had accused the company of selectively frisking his wife, who hails from Manipur, for the items that she purchased.
"If this is not racism then what is it? The senior staffs there were far from helpful," his wife further asked.
The tweet sparked online uproar, with many censuring the furniture retailer for failing to take responsibility, and denying the objectionable behavior.
"As a process, customers who self-checkout are requested for a final check before leaving the store to ensure the billing is correct and customers do not face any problems regarding double charging, repeat scanning of products, etc," IKEA wrote in a tweet.
'Apalling, Absolutely Unacceptable': KTR
Meanwhile, Telangana minister and Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao's son, KT Rama Rao also decried the store, saying that the incident was 'apalling' and 'absolutely unacceptable'.
"Please ensure a proper apology is issued and more importantly educate, sensitive, and train your staff to respect all your customers graciously Hope you will make amends asap," he wrote.
"When you single out JUST one customer from the many who have been billed because of how she looks different from you, that is PREJUDICE and in this case, #racism," another Twitter user wrote.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)