Anand Mahindra had been tagged on social media posts about the incident in karnataka (File)
Industrialist Anand Mahindra on Tuesday underscored the importance of upholding the dignity of an individual, in his first public comment after a farmer in Karnataka was allegedly humiliated by the sales staff at a Mahindra and Mahindra SUV showroom.
"The Core Purpose of @MahindraRise is to enable our communities & all stakeholders to Rise. And a key Core Value is to uphold the Dignity of the Individual. Any aberration from this philosophy will be addressed with great urgency," he tweeted, quoting a tweet by Mahindra and Mahindra CEO Veejay Nakra.
Mr Nakra promised an investigation and action over the incident, "including counselling and training of frontline staff".
The statements came after a farmer in Karnataka who went to a showroom to buy a Bolero pick-up truck had said that he was shamed by a salesman who sneered that he could hardly afford a car. The farmer threw a challenge and returned with the cash in an hour, in a script straight out of the movies. The salesman apologised.
Videos of the incident, which took place at a Mahindra showroom in Karnataka's Tumakuru on Friday, were widely shared and even flagged on Twitter to Anand Mahindra, the chairman of the group.
The farmer, Kempegowda, had gone to buy a Bolero pick-up when the salesman allegedly rudely told him off and asked him to leave.
The car is worth Rs 10 lakh, the salesman said, according to the farmer, and "you probably don't even have Rs 10 in your pocket". He dismissed Kempegowda because of his appearance, the farmer and his friends allege.
An argument broke out and Kempegowda dared the salesman to arrange the delivery of an SUV the same day if he brought the money within an hour.
He returned with cash. The stunned sales executive, predictably, could not manage instant delivery - the waitlist is usually long. It would not take less than four days to deliver his car.
Incensed, Kempegowda and his friends demanded an apology and more heated words were exchanged until the police stepped in and broke up the fight.
The sales executive finally apologised to Kempegowda. "I don't want to buy a car from your showroom," the farmer said, walking off with his Rs 10 lakh.