Delivery error: Flipkart says Nagaland is outside India

Our Reporter
Dimapur, Oct. 8 (EMN): In August this year, e-commerce site Flipkart was caught in a social media storm after misinterpreting the cultural attire of various tribes in Nagaland and selling costumes that were nowhere near the appropriate traditional wear of the state. And yet again, the multibillion dollar worth e-commerce giant has made a blunder -- demonstrating its ignorance about Nagaland.

Recently, a customer from Nagaland took to Flipkart’s Facebook page, questioning why the shopping website was not delivering items to Nagaland.

“Why is Flipkart not delivering to Nagaland? We still didn’t get independence and we are still a part of India. Treat all states equally,” the customer complained.

In response, Flipkart wrote: “Sorry to hear that. We appreciate your interest in shopping with us. However, sellers do not provide our services outside India.”

Speaking to Eastern Mirror, the chairman at The Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance (Tipra) and also former national secretary of the Indian National Congress (INC), Pradyot Manikya Debbarma, shared that this kind of incidence is “exactly what the problem is”.

“When a national brand like Flipkart responds like this, it shows at times we need a separate flag or a different law in the Constitution,” said Debbarma.

“There are many people who are indigenous but also have a persecution mania; I know we all make mistakes but when something like Flipkart does that, people will start defending this and start asking why this kind of information is being spread,” he said.

Citing the crucial juncture that Nagaland is with the Centre in regard to the peace talks, Debbarma felt that the talks were happening for the larger identification of the Naga people.

“I am not Naga but I understand where the Nagas come from…and then something like this happens and people rubbish it,” Debbarma said.

“We are still not an integral part of India but a strategic part of India. It is no longer upsetting; sometimes we try too hard to be a part of a system which does not accept us as who we are,” shared the chairman of Tipra.

The customer who posted the comment on Flipkart’s page also shared with this newspaper that before lockdown he had added items to his wishlist and decided to buy those items after lockdown was lifted and delivery made possible again.

“Even though lockdown was lifted, Flipkart was still not delivering to Nagaland so I wrote that comment,” said the customer, adding that he did not expect such a reply from Flipkart.

The comment was made late at night on October 6 and has since caught the attention of many including former director general of police, Nagaland, Rupin S Sharma who tweeted: “Although not with Flipkart, even I had this experience once. Nagaland is India #Flipkart.”