After farmer alleges humiliation at showroom, Anand Mahindra has this to say

New Delhi, Jan 25: Industrialist Anand Mahindra in his first public comment after a farmer in Karnataka was allegedly humiliated by the sales staff at a showroom said that the core purpose of MahindraRise is to enable our communities and all stakeholders to rise.

The Core Purpose of @MahindraRise is to enable our communities & all stakeholders to Rise. And a key Core Value is to uphold the Dignity of the Individual. Any aberration from this philosophy will be addressed with great urgency, Mahindra said while quoiting a tweet by Mahindra and Mahindra CEO Vijay Nakra.

Dealers are an integral part of delivering a customer centric experience & we ensure the respect & dignity of all our customers. We are investigating the incident & will take appropriate action, in the case of any transgression, including counselling & training of frontline staff, Nakra had said.

A farmer, who had gone to buy a pick-up truck, was allegedly humiliated for his appearance by a sales executive at a car showroom in Karnataka's Tumakuru district.

The incident reportedly took place on Friday when farmer Kempegowda from Ramanapalya along with seven of his associates had gone to buy the Bolero pick-up truck.

"Looking at my clothes and my condition, they felt that I'm not in a position to pay the money," Kempegowda said.

"One of their field officers told me, 'you probably don't even have Rs 10, how will you buy this vehicle?'

He even said those who come to buy a vehicle don't come in the way we had," the farmer added.

The video of the purported incident has been widely circulated on social media.

Feeling humiliated, the farmer's uncle challenged the salesman that they were ready to pay Rs 10 lakh and asked if he would deliver the vehicle immediately. The salesman said that if they get full cash in half-an-hour, he would deliver the vehicle immediately.

Kempegowda said when he got Rs 10 lakh within 30 minutes, "they changed the plate" but said they would not be able to deliver the vehicle immediately.

Kempegowda and his associates informed police and refused to leave, demanding immediate delivery or a written apology. The police persuaded them to leave.