Kerala man in Saudi fired for "derogatory" remarks on Sabarimala row

Dubai: An Indian man in Saudi Arabia has been fired from his job for allegedly posting “derogatory comments” on women, amid the Sabarimala temple row, a media report said Wednesday.

Deepak Pavithram, a Keralite working with Lulu Hypermarket in Riyadh, was fired on Tuesday for allegedly making misogynistic and insensitive remarks about women on social media.

“We have a strict and zero tolerance policy with regard to our staff misusing social media to spread malicious or derogatory comments which might hurt religious sentiments,” V Nandakumar, Chief Communications Officer at Lulu Group, told Khaleej Times.

“All GCC nations are home to a large cosmopolitan population from almost all countries in the world and we respect their sentiments, culture and religious beliefs,” Nandakumar said.

Kerala expats in the Gulf took to social media to express their appreciation for Yusuff Ali MA, chairman and managing director of Lulu Group, for taking a strong step against the derogatory remarks, the report said.

This is the second termination in recent times by the Indian-owned retail giant on similar grounds.

In August, they had terminated the services of a Keralite expat in Oman after he posted distasteful comments about flood victims in Kerala.

The company took action against him despite an apology he had issued the next day, for the remarks.

The Supreme Court on September 28 had ruled that women will be allowed entry into Sabarimala temple in Kerala.

The temple opened its door for all women visitors of all age groups for the first time on Wednesday after the historic apex court ruling last month.

Tension prevailed Wednesday morning in Kerala’s Nilakkal, the main gateway to Sabarimala, after the police used force to disperse protestors opposing the entry of girls and women of menstrual age into the hill shrine.

The temple would be closed on October 22 after the five-day monthly prayer during the Malayalam month of Thulam.