Ujjain: A man in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain has accused Apple of being "anti-Hindu", alleging that its virtual assistant Siri responds to "Assalamualaikum" but does not respond when users say "Jai Shri Ram."
Speaking to reporters, the man claimed that the company's voice assistant was hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus by allegedly failing to acknowledge the greeting.
"iPhone is against India's culture and hurts Hindu sentiments because Siri gives replies to 'Assalamualaikum' but remains silent on 'Jai Shri Ram'. Crores of Hindus in Ujjain and across India use iPhones, but this is a fraud on us. Our data is with Apple, and this is a conspiracy against us," he alleged.
To support his allegation, he demonstrated Siri before members of the media by giving the voice assistant the commands "Jai Shri Mahakal" and "Jai Shri Ram."
The individual further claimed that iPhones have become a status symbol in India, with many people buying the devices despite their premium price.
"People buy iPhones even on loans because they have become a status symbol. Yet the company is not respecting our culture," he alleged.
Apple has not issued any response to the allegations.
The claims regarding Siri's responses have not been independently verified, and there is no official confirmation supporting the allegations made by the individual.