New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party minority leader Nazia Elahi Khan has intensified the controversy surrounding the dress code of Lenskart employees after she posted a strong message on X defending Hindu religious identity and criticizing restrictions on symbols such as tilak and sindoor.Khan wrote in her latest post: “Tilak is your pride, Hindu! Kalaava is your Sankar, Hindu! Sanatan is your identity, Hindu! Har Har Mahadev slogan is your pride, Hindu! Work at Lenskart or Air India! No matter where you live or work, never compromise your identity, Hindu!”Her statement came after a video surfaced showing Khan confronting employees at a Lenskart store in Mumbai, accusing Hindu employees of not wearing religious symbols while working.The video shows Khan entering the store with members of her team and asking to meet the store manager. When the manager introduced himself as Mohsin Khan, she challenged him over the alleged ban on tilak and other Hindu symbols. She accused him of selectively restricting Hindu speech while allowing Islamic clothing such as hijab.During the exchange, Khan asked for the Hindu staff to be called out and asked them to identify themselves. She then applied tilak to several employees and said, “There is no shame in having a tilak, even though I am a Muslim, I have one.”She also raised slogans and continued to target the manager, questioning whether he had ever compromised on his religious beliefs while allegedly asking Hindu employees to do the same. The manager has repeatedly denied the allegations in the video.The incident has drawn fresh attention to an earlier controversy over Lenskart’s internal dress code. Social media erupted in backlash after a screenshot of a purported company style guide circulated online. The document appears to restrict symbols such as tilak and bindi, while providing separate guidelines for turbans and turbans. Critics claim the policy is discriminatory and inconsistent with constitutional protections of religious freedom.Responding to the criticism, Lenskart said it would revise and standardize its in-store style guide to clearly allow symbols of faith and culture. The company said the updated policy would “clearly and unequivocally welcome symbols of every faith and culture” including bindi, tilak, sindoor, turban and turban.Lenskart also issued an apology: “We are deeply sorry if any version of our workplace communications caused harm or made any of our team members feel unwelcome for their beliefs.”The eyewear retailer said it operates more than 2,400 stores in India and that employees bring their “faith, heritage and identity” to work. It added that future workplace policies, training materials and internal communications will reflect this position.Now, the debate has moved beyond company policy, with Khan’s intervention adding a political and community dimension to the debate over workplace speech and religious identity.
