On Wednesday, several Twitter users were enraged about a ‘mob attack’ on Monday night on a Tanishq store.
An employee told Indian Express: “Around 120 people gathered in front of our showroom and six or seven of them later barged in and hurled abuses at the staff. They said they were Hindus and wouldn’t tolerate such ads. We told them that the ad was just meant to promote our jewellery business and nothing else and that the Gandhidham showroom had not issued it but that it was a decision of the company.”
The employee added: “We told them that we, too, are Hindus. But they didn’t listen to us. Some of them pasted a poster on the door of our show-room, clicked selfies by posing in front of that poster and then they dispersed.”
However, there were conflicting reports. After an initial NDTV report used the word ‘attacked’, a latter one changed it to ‘targeted’.
It also quoted a police officer saying that no 'ransacking, rioting, protest or attack took place'.
A police officer was quoted saying: “Some people had informed the store the ad was not in good taste and had hurt sentiments and some threat calls had been received. The police have been regularly patrolling the area. No ransacking, rioting, protest or attack took place.”
The showroom manager and local police rubbished media reports that the showroom was attacked by some people angry with the Tanishq advertisement.
"No such attack has taken place," said Superintendent of Police, Kutch-East, Mayur Patil.
An audio clip was shared by Twitter user The Skin Doctor who claimed he had spoken to the manager about the ‘attack’.
No media house published any video or footage to substantiate claims that a mob 'attacked' a store.
While several Twitter users took to condemn the ‘attack’, others slammed what they called ‘fake news’.
A Tanishq jewellery showroom in Gandhidham town of Gujarat's Kutch district has put up a note on its door, apologising to Hindus in the district over the brand's controversial TV ad which has been withdrawn.
The handwritten note in Gujarati also condemned the TV commercial.
"We apologise to Hindu community of Kutch on the shameful advertisement of Tanishq," the note read. It was pasted on the showroom's door on October 12, and has since been removed, police said.
Photos of the apology note have gone viral on social media.
The TV commercial featured a Muslim family preparing for an upcoming baby shower for their Hindu daughter-in-law.
Tanishq jewellery brand is a division of Titan company, promoted by the Tata Group in collaboration with the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation.
With inputs from PTI
