Zomato gets Scheduled Caste body notice for ad showing Dalit character in ‘Lagaan’ as recycled waste

The National Commission For Scheduled Castes on Monday issued a notice to food delivery company Zomato for its advertisement that depicted the Dalit character named “Kachra” in the Hindi film Lagaan as items made of recycled waste.

Zomato took down the advertisement on Thursday, saying that its aim was to show the company’s effort in recycling. “Unintentionally, we may have hurt the sentiments of certain communities and individuals,” the company had said.

The advertisement drew a connection between the character and the Hindi word for garbage. It showed actor Aditya Lakhia, who played the character in the film, as a lamp, paper, paperweight and watering can, along with a text detailing how much recycled “kachra” was used to make each item. The advertisement had been uploaded on YouTube on World Environment Day on June 5.

Big Breaking: The National Commission for Scheduled Castes, a constitutional body set up under Article 338 of the Constitution, has today issued a notice to @zomato founder @deepigoyal for a casteist ad that denigrates the Dalit community. If Zomato fails to comply, a summon will… pic.twitter.com/e605g5kudG— Dilip Mandal (@Profdilipmandal) June 12, 2023

In the notice sent to Zomato founder and Chief Executive Officer Deepinder Goyal, the Scheduled Castes panel said that it has taken cognisance of the matter and will...

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