Lenskart row escalates as BJP leader Nazia Elahi Khan confronts staff over dress code claims

Eyewear retailer Lenskart is facing a controversy over its workplace dress code after a document circulated online claimed that employees were allowed to wear hijabs but barred from wearing religious symbols such as bindis, tilak and kalawa.

The document, described as part of a staff grooming or style guide, led to criticism on social media, with users alleging discrimination in how religious symbols were treated in the workplace. Peyush Bansal responded by saying the document was outdated and did not reflect the company’s current policy.

Bansal said the company does not restrict any form of religious expression and that the version being circulated was an older internal document. He also acknowledged a “language lapse” and apologised for the confusion caused.

Following the backlash, Lenskart issued a revised in-store style guide, stating that religious and cultural symbols, including bindi, tilak, sindoor and sacred threads, are permitted. The company said it was standardising guidelines and making them publicly available after feedback.

The controversy took a political turn when BJP Minority Morcha leader Nazia Elahi Khan stormed into a Lenskart store with a camera and questioned the store manager over the alleged policy.

In videos from the incident, she is seen accusing the manager, identified as Mohsin Khan, of allowing the ‘hijab’ (headscarf worn by muslim women while restricting religious symbols such as ‘tilak and kalawa’ observed by Hindus. She is also seen calling Hindu staff members and applying ‘tilak’ on them while urging them to not compromise with their religion just as Muslims do not compromise with their religion.

A similar incident was reported in Bhopal, where members of a local group tied ‘kalawa’ on employees at a Lenskart store, according to media reports. In another instance, individuals were seen confronting store staff over the placement of a small temple inside the outlet.

The issue began with claims that the company’s policy treated certain religious symbols differently, prompting wider discussion on workplace norms and religious expression.

Even after the clarification and revised guidelines, the debate has continued across platforms, with questions raised over the initial document and its circulation.