Fast food restaurant chain KFC's India arm on Monday evening "deeply apologized" for a social media post supporting 'Kashmir Solidarity Day' by its Pakistan arm. Taking to Twitter, KFC India wrote, "We deeply apologize for a post that was published on some KFC social media channels outside the country. We honour and respect India, and remain steadfast in our commitment to serving all Indians with pride."
KFC India's apology came after 'Boycott KFC' began trending on Twitter over a Facebook post by KFC Pakistan.
The now-deleted post read: "You never left our thoughts and we hope that the coming years bring peace to you!". The image has "KASHMIR BELONGS TO THE KASHMIRIS" written in bold red letters.
On Sunday, car maker Hyundai India was also caught in a similar social media crossfire.
A Twitter account of a Hyundai dealer in Pakistan with handle @hyundaiPakistanOfficial had posted a message supporting Kashmir Solidarity day, supporting what it called as"struggle for freedom".
Following it, #BoycottHyundai trended on Twitter in India with many people asking to stop buying the company's products in the country.
Reacting to the developments, Hyundai Motors India put out a message on social media reiterating its commitment to the Indian market.
"Hyundai MotorIndia has been committed to the Indian market for more than 25 years now and we stand firmly for our strong ethos of respecting nationalism," it said.
The company further said, "The unsolicited social media post linking Hyundai Motor India is offending our unparalleled commitment and service to this great country."
Reiterating that India is second home to the Hyundai brand, the company said, "We have a zero-tolerance policy towards insensitive communication and we strongly condemn any such view."
Hyundai Motor India further said, "As part of our commitment to India, we will continue our efforts towards the betterment of the country as well as its citizens."
(With IANS inputs)
