A South Korean restaurant at Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh has been accused of racial discrimination after allegedly not allowing Indians to dine there.
The guest house-cum-restaurant, Mojave located at Ram Nagar, was opened a year ago, said one of its employees. A poster put up outside the restaurant reads, “Another people’s permission. No Entry (sic).” It then goes on to list different contact numbers for Indians and South Koreans.
The accusation that the restaurant is exclusively for South Koreans was raised by Rahul, a journalist with the People’s Archive of Rural India, who shared his ordeal on Facebook on Tuesday.
Rahul, who went along with his brother to have lunch at Mojave, was allegedly denied entry, with the restaurant claiming that it was meant only for South Koreans.
Speaking to TNM, Rahul said that the exclusion—denying entry to others is nothing but racism. “Opening a commercial public space and not letting everyone come in is discriminatory,” Rahul said.
“When I went there, they said that the restaurant is not open for Indians. They have put up posters also,” he alleged.
Rahul alleged that his friend’s brother also faced the issue when he went to dine at the restaurant.
According to residents, employees of Kia Motors, a South Korean automobile manufacturer, are staying in the same neighbourhood, and the restaurant was opened only to cater to them.
When TNM spoke to the manager of Mojave, he said that the restaurant is only meant for South Koreans.
Sensing trouble, an Indian employee grabbed the phone and stated that the restaurant is not operational yet, and that’s why they were not allowing anyone inside.
However, another employee, Prashanth working in the same restaurant confirmed to TNM that Mojave has been functional for over a year now. He also said that since its inception, the restaurant has a policy of not allowing Indians.
Google reviews about the restaurant also establishes the fact that the restaurant has been functional.
In 2014, Uno-Inn—a hotel exclusively meant for the Japanese was shut down by the Bengaluru municipal corporation on charges of racial discrimination.
The hotel did not allow Indians or any other nationals except Japanese. After a furore, the hotel’s license was revoked and shut down.