A Kolkata-based home chef has accused a delivery executive of harassment over a package containing pork, alleging that the rider took offence to her sending meat during the holy month of Shravan.
Tani Kaur, who runs a cloud kitchen, said the Rapido rider not only asked what was inside the parcel but also made demeaning remarks after learning that it contained pork.
“He took the package, went halfway and then started sniffing it and harassing me,” Kaur told My Kolkata. “I had no idea how pedestrians would react if I created a scene there because I was all alone and there was pork and beef in the package,” she said.
Kaur said she had arranged to send a portion of pork qorma to a client using Rapido’s parcel service on Monday.
In a Facebook post she shared following the incident, Kaur accused the rider of sniffing the package and questioning her decision of sending meat during the holy month.
Shravan is observed by many Hindus across the country – mostly in north and west India – during the monsoon. Those who follow the Shravan rituals avoid consuming meat and poultry products during the month-long period.
After Monday’s incident, Kaur said she cancelled the Rapido booking and completed the delivery herself.
“All I got was a ‘sorry’. They [Rapido customer support] didn’t assure me of any action. I had to pay the full delivery amount and they said there was nothing they could do because I had taken the package,” she said.
Kaur’s Facebook post sparked reactions from home chefs and cloud kitchen owners, many of whom claimed to have faced similar situations in Kolkata, a city that prides itself as being cosmopolitan.
“I faced exactly the same during Muharram. A delivery boy refused to take my parcel because it had pork. He insisted that I tell him the type of meat. He was from Porter. The helpline was of no use,” said home chef Jayeeta Ghosh, a resident of south Kolkata.
According to chef Sharon Vaz, another Kolkata resident, sometimes riders did not even pick up pork from vendors.
Homechef Subhojit Sen offered a different perspective: “Many times Muslim delivery partners ask me if there is pork in the package. I tell them honestly. If there is pork, I cancel the order and rebook it. I don’t think we can force them. It is up to them.”
My Kolkata reached out to Rapido for a statement on Monday but did not get a response. Their reply is awaited.