Outrage after Indian company stall derided over religion in Riyadh
A video circulating on social media from a trade exhibition in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh, has sparked widespread outrage after an Indian exhibitor was allegedly harassed over his religious identity.
The video, which has not been independently verified by NDTV, shows a stall belonging to Indian engineering major Larsen & Toubro (L&T). A Saudi man can be heard mocking the booth and deriding it for being run by a “Hindu” company, while questioning why no Muslim was present at the stall.
Video shows alleged harassment at exhibition booth
In the footage, the camera pans across the L&T booth as the voice continues to make disparaging remarks. The Indian man staffing the stall is seen briefly holding up his phone to record the incident before lowering it and looking around, appearing visibly uncomfortable.
The identities of those involved in the incident have not been officially confirmed, and there has been no public response so far from event organisers or Saudi authorities.
Analyst condemns incident as “blatant racism”
Reacting to the video, UAE-based political analyst Amjad Taha strongly condemned the incident, calling it “blatant racism” and an attack on dignity and free enterprise.
Sharing the clip on X, Taha wrote, “A Saudi attacking an Indian for being Hindu and for owning a stand at a Riyadh exhibition… bullying them and sneering, ‘This #Hindu company doesn’t even have one Muslim here.’ This is ignorance weaponised, an assault on dignity, faith, and free enterprise.”
This is blatant racism.
A Saudi attacking an Indian for being Hindu and for owning a stand at a Riyadh exhibition..bullying them and sneering, “This #Hindu company doesn’t even have one Muslim here.” This is ignorance weaponized, an assault on dignity, faith, and free enterprise.… pic.twitter.com/zi3o3Bc6nN— Amjad Taha أمجد طه (@amjadt25) February 3, 2026
He further praised India as a “great civilisation” and said the country was not a target for “sectarian thugs.”
“Business is not a mosque roll call, and faith policing has no place in a modern society. Shameful. Disgraceful. Absolutely unacceptable,” he added.
Incident raises concerns over religious discrimination
The episode has reignited concerns over religious discrimination in international commercial spaces, particularly as Gulf countries seek to project themselves as global business hubs open to diverse cultures and nationalities.
Larsen & Toubro, founded in 1938, is one of India’s largest engineering and infrastructure companies. Headquartered in India and led predominantly by Indian professionals, L&T has been expanding its presence in the Gulf region.
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UAE & Saudi are core Islamic countries & has not regard for Hindus, except for some show-off to media. There is no justice system in middle east. They use the same punishment techniques that are used by Mughals & other Islamic invaders in India. Their outer wear is deceptive & inner wear is Islamic only & includes it behavior, thinking & every aspect of what is told in Islam. Do not get fooled by outer wear. They themselves continue to fund Islamic activities even today.