Lenskart Faces Backlash Over Dress Code Policy Amid Controversy
Lenskart is facing significant backlash over its dress code policy after allegations surfaced that it prohibits Hindu symbols like bindi and tilak while allowing hijabs. The situation escalated when BJP minority leader Nazia Elahi led a protest at a Mumbai store, applying tilak to employees and demanding accountability from management. As tensions rise, Lenskart has issued an apology and clarified its policies. Read on to learn more about this unfolding controversy and its implications.
| Apr 21, 2026, 11:23 IST
Lenskart Under Fire for Dress Code Policy
The well-known eyewear retailer Lenskart is currently embroiled in a significant controversy. A protest erupted at one of its Mumbai stores after the company's dress code policy sparked outrage on social media. This incident escalated when Nazia Elahi, a leader from the BJP's minority front, along with members of Hindu organizations, stormed into the showroom.
Accusations against Lenskart emerged claiming that the company allegedly prohibits employees from wearing bindi and tilak at work, while allowing the hijab. In response, members of Hindu organizations, led by a Muslim BJP leader, invaded a Mumbai showroom. They applied tilak on employees, tied sacred threads (kalawa) on their wrists, and shouted slogans.
BJP minority leader Nazia Elahi confronted the staff at the Lenskart store, chanting 'Jai Shri Ram' inside the premises. During the confrontation, she questioned the floor manager, identified as Mohsin Khan, about the supposed restrictions on Hindu symbols. In a video, she can be heard asking, 'Was the tilak ban imposed because you are Mohsin Khan?'
Outside the store, she accused the management of favoring one religion over another, stating, 'This is a Hindu nation. Lenskart will either face a boycott or all its outlets will be shut down until the owner apologizes.'
The situation intensified when Khan called Hindu employees forward and applied tilak on their foreheads, asserting that there should be 'no shame' in expressing one's religious identity. The employees appeared visibly uncomfortable but did not protest.
Meanwhile, a store employee claimed that during training, staff were instructed that wearing tilak and sacred threads (kalawa) was prohibited. The employee further alleged that even married female staff were not allowed to wear mangalsutra.
These claims incited anger among those present, leading them to demand clarification from the store manager. Hindu activists deemed the issue serious and called for the immediate closure of the outlet, insisting that a thorough investigation must occur before it can reopen.
Lenskart found itself in hot water after allegations surfaced that an internal document permitted employees to wear hijabs while banning visible religious symbols like bindi and tilak.
As the controversy grew, the company issued an apology, with CEO Piyush Bansal clarifying that the policy document in question was 'incorrect' and did not reflect the company's current guidelines. He explained that the circulated document was an outdated training note and not part of the HR policy; he also noted that references to bindi and tilak had been removed subsequently.
Later, the company released a comprehensive 'in-store style guide' stating that symbols of faith and culture—ranging from bindi and tilak to hijab and turban—are permitted across all its outlets.
Nazia Elahi Khan, BJP minority leader confronted a LensKart store staff in Mumbai over company's discriminatory grooming policies. She was heard applying Tilak to Hindu staffers and raising slogans of "Jai Sri Ram" pic.twitter.com/9re8jgvrJw
— Piyush Rai (@Benarasiyaa) April 20, 2026