An Indian man was fired from his job in Muscat, Oman, for posting an insensitive comment on the social media about relief measures in the flood-hit Kerala. Rahul Cheru Palayattu himself belongs to the same Indian state, where over 350 people have died in the last three weeks after incessant rains inundated many regions.
Palayattu, who was employed as a cashier at LuLu Hypermarket in Bousher, Muscat, invited outrage after he published his comment in response to a Facebook post in which a person had asked if sanitary napkins needed to be sent in the flood-hit areas. Palayattu commented, asking if people there needed condoms as well, the News Minute reported.
His remarks were criticized by social media users, following which his services were terminated by the company for his “insensitive and derogatory” remarks.
“This is to inform you that we have terminated you from services with immediate effect because of your highly insensitive and derogatory comments on social media with regard to the current flood situation in Kerala, India,” a letter issued by the company’s HR manager in Oman stated, as per the report. “You are hereby instructed to handover all your official responsibilities to your reporting manager immediately and to contact the accounts department for your final settlement,” it added.
The LuLu Group is owned by Yusuff Ali MA, a billionaire NRI who himself hails from Kerala. The company has a huge presence in the cities of the United Arab Emirates, and also has footprints in Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Malaysia. Yusuff Ali also announced a Rs 50 million donation for flood relief measures in Kerala.
Before he was sacked from his job, Palayattu apologized for his remarks after he was slammed on the social media. He went live on Facebook, saying, “I apologize to everyone in Kerala. Because of my foolishness, a mistake happened on my behalf. I request everyone to forgive me. After that comment, my friends and others have been abusing me on Facebook.”
He added that he posted the comments in an inebriated state.
“I was not in my senses. I was drunk. I may lose my job. I promise that I will not do such things on Facebook, or otherwise, ever again,” he said, according to the report.
An Australian diplomat also has to apologize recently after he tweeted insensitive comments on the flood situation in Kerala.
The Indian state is facing the worst monsoon season in about a century. People, organizations and governments from all across the world have come forward to offer support to the flood-ravaged state.