Story perspectives

Bengaluru Police Book Zomato Manager Over Language Remarks

By Drooid · Oct 6, 2026, 6:49 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Zomato warehouse manager Ashok Muttayy was booked after telling staff to learn Hindi or quit.
In the circulated video he spoke Hindi and refused to use Kannada despite employee protests.
Bengaluru police opened a suo motu case after local Kannada groups filed a petition at Madanayakanahalli police.
Muttayy posted a Kannada apology video, which many users described as insincere.

History

Historical Context

Recent demand by Zomato manager Ashok Muttayy that staff use Hindi sparked a suo motu case after Kannada-rights groups, including Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, petitioned Bengaluru police. The clash echoes Karnataka’s long-standing nativist backlash, illustrated by KRV’s December 2023 vandalism of Hindi signboards and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s January 2024 call for newcomers to learn Kannada. Such episodes show how language politics repeatedly shape corporate and civic actions.

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Story summary

Zomato warehouse manager Ashok Muttayy was booked after telling staff to learn Hindi or quit.
In the circulated video he spoke Hindi and refused to use Kannada despite employee protests.
Bengaluru police opened a suo motu case after local Kannada groups filed a petition at Madanayakanahalli police.
Muttayy posted a Kannada apology video, which many users described as insincere.

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