Flipkart Says 'Nagaland is Outside India'; Apologies Later After Sparking Outrage

• In reply to a query by a customer from Kohima, the company told the service couldn’t be provided since the location was outside India.
• It sparked an outrage which resulted in angry replies by annoyed Indians.
• Flipkart has also been embroiled in a controversy in Nagaland when it wrongly described a product as traditional attire from the state.

E-commerce site Flipkart's social media handle sparked outrage after one of its customer care service providers told a customer in Nagaland that service couldn’t be provided since the location was outside India.

A customer from Kohima posted a query on Facebook asking why the website is no longer delivering items in the state.

“We still didn’t get independence and we are still a part of India. Treat all states equally areeh!,” the user said in the query.

In reply to this comment, the Flipkart handle commented regretting the non-delivery of orders.

“Sorry to hear that. We appreciate your interest in shopping with us. However, sellers do not provide our services outside India,” the reply said.

The e-commerce giant later deleted the reply, but by then many had taken screenshots that were widely shared on social media.

However, the e-commerce giant realized its mistake and apologized for the comment. It said, “We are extremely sorry about the inadvertent error earlier. We strike to ensure serviceability across the nation, including regions in Nagaland. We are happy to connect with you and provide currently available options.”

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The post had already triggered angry replies by annoyed Indians slamming the person handling the account did not know that Nagaland is a state in India. The post went viral after singer Alobo Naga shared the post.

Talking to indianexpress, Alobo said, “Unfortunately this incident highlights how little people are aware of northeastern state…Many are not aware where Nagaland is, and people can’t be blamed totally, but I think the education system at large can be held responsible for such ignorance.”

Also, many accused the company of discrimination and said this sort of discrimination and lack of awareness wasn’t new or surprising. The incident also caused many to share jokes.

This isn’t the first time that Flipkart has been embroiled in a controversy in the state. In July, the company faced criticism for a product that was wrongly described as traditional attire from the state.

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