Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], January 13 (HBTV): A private company issued a public apology after its HR department posted a job advertisement seeking a ‘non-Kannada speaking’ candidate, explicitly mentioning ‘Non-Kannada HR’, assuring that such incidents would not recur.
Lakshmi Narayan, who is associated with the company, released a video apology from the firm’s JP Nagar office in Bengaluru. ‘Namaskar to all Kannadigas. We are speaking from our JP Nagar office in Bengaluru. The advertisement was reported to HR from our Kolkata office. We operate across the country, and Kolkata is our sole branch. We apologise to all Kannadigas. As such an advertisement was issued, we will look into it to ensure that such incidents do not happen again. We also apologise to all pro-Kannada organisations and will remain cautious so that such mistakes do not occur in the future,’ he said.
The apology followed a row after an HR executive at the private firm posted the advertisement on a job portal with a specific preference for ‘non-Kannada speaking’ candidates for a post in Bengaluru. The advertisement quickly gained traction on social media, triggering criticism and anger among Kannadigas.
Several users said that posting such an advertisement in Karnataka, while excluding Kannada speakers, hurt local sentiments. Many warned of protests if the post was not withdrawn immediately, questioning the exclusion of local language speakers from employment opportunities in the state. (ANI)