Sensitisation drive after dad, son face language harassment at Noida hotel
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Kolkata: The Indian multinational hospitality chain of leased and franchised hotels, passed on an internal message to all hotels under its platform to not discriminate against any guest on the basis of caste, creed, religion, language, or nationality.
The internal message was circulated a day after TOI reported how a techie from New Town, along with his 14-year-old son — a national-level skater — in Noida for a skating championship, was allegedly denied hotel stay, which he booked through OYO, in Sector 44 after being mistaken for Bangladeshis.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee also reacted to the issue on Thursday, asking why BJP-ruled states were not respecting the Bengali language.
"I got to know about an incident that a techie was not allowed to stay in a hotel in Noida with his son simply because he spoke in Bengali. If I respect your language, why will you not respect mine?" she said at a govt programme commemorating the 12th anniversary of the Kanyashree social welfare scheme.
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In a video the man shot, the hotel receptionist was heard claiming the local cops instructed them not to allow anyone from Bangladesh, Punjab, and Jammu and Kashmir to stay at the hotels until Aug 15 for security issues.
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When the techie argued he was not a Bangladeshi but was from West Bengal, the receptionist claimed it was the same thing and denied them entry.
The family shifted to another hotel in Sector 49 while OYO apologised to the guest. Noida Police also denied issuing any such directives, stating only ID checks for Bangladeshi nationals with valid documents are required.
"The moment we saw the video, we started an enquiry. We have asked the owner of the hotel Meera Eternity to give us proof of which police officer may have asked them to deny guests on the basis of the language or address.
We believe the hotel already resold the room to some other guest and thus made up the story, taking advantage of the current language row. We have already taken strict action against them, and following the enquiry, we may de-roster the hotel permanently from our platform," said a senior official.
"OYO does not promote any form of discrimination based on race, religion, language, region, or ethnicity. Such behaviour is a clear violation of our policies, the law, and the values we uphold.
OYO remains committed to ensuring safe, respectful, and inclusive stays, and any partner found engaging in discriminatory practices faces strict action, including permanent removal from our network," OYO said in a statement.
The incident comes amidst a political storm that erupted since the start of the month following a letter — allegedly from the Delhi Police Lodhi Colony station — requesting a translator for the "Bangladeshi language," igniting outrage across India, especially in Bengali-speaking regions.
"I am glad the company has addressed the issue and hope no one else faces harassment and humiliation like I faced," said the software engineer.
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