Uber bans woman over her name ‘ Swastika Chandra’, later apologises
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New York: Uber's ride-share and food delivery service banned an Australian woman from availing their service as her name happened to be Swastika Chandra, NDTV reported citing New York Post.
A message from the company, as she tried to pay for food at Uber Eats, directed her to change her name.
''I was putting in an order for food one afternoon and went to the payment stage and this pop-up came up saying, 'Your first name is in violation and you need to change your name on the app,'' she was quoted by A Current Affair as saying.
The 35-year-old explained her first name meant ''good luck'' in Sanskrit , a common name in Fiji, where she grew up.
Uber’s reaction apparently stems from the fact that the term ‘Swastika’ in West is largely associated with the Nazi Party of Germany.
Her account was reinstated after the intervention of the Hindu Council of Australia and the New South Wales attorney-general.
''They don't know that the Hindus used it for thousands of years before Hitler used it in the wrong way. It is a very common name. I know four or five other girls with the same name. In school, we had two or three other girls with the same name – It means good luck and it means good things for me. I'm very proud of my name. I believe in the good that comes with it and I'm not changing it for anyone,'' she reportedly said.
Backing Chandra’s fight, the Jewish Board of Deputies told A Current Affair: ‘There is a difference between Ms Chandra innocently using her name and the deployment of a sinister symbol.’
Later issuing an apology to Chandra, Ubber said it is ‘committed to facilitating a safe and welcoming environment for all users’.
