Eyewear retailer Lenskart is facing intense backlash on social media over an alleged internal policy that has sparked a debate around religious discrimination. The controversy revolves around claims that employees were allowed to wear hijabs or turbans, but were restricted from wearing bindis and tilaks.

The issue came to light after a document titled “Lenskart Staff Uniform and Grooming Guide” began circulating online. According to the viral document, employees working in Lenskart stores were permitted to wear black hijabs and black turbans during duty hours. However, the same guidelines reportedly stated that religious marks such as tilak and bindi were not allowed, triggering outrage among users who called it discriminatory and unacceptable.

Amid the growing criticism, Peyush Bansal, founder of Lenskart, issued a clarification distancing himself from the document. He stated that the policy being circulated is outdated and does not reflect the company’s current guidelines. He also apologised for the confusion caused by the viral post.

Taking to social media platform X, Bansal said that the document in question is not part of the company’s current policy. He clarified that employees are free to wear religious symbols, including bindi and tilak, and emphasised that Lenskart does not impose restrictions on religious expressions. He added that company policies are periodically reviewed and updated, and expressed regret over the misunderstanding.



However, many social media users remain unconvinced by the explanation. Some claim that the document is dated February 2026, arguing that it cannot be dismissed as outdated. Others have demanded that the company make its current policy public to clear the confusion.

Several users also questioned why such a policy existed in the first place, even if it was old, raising concerns about past practices and transparency.

Now, in another post, Bansal has now clarified that the viral document was an outdated internal training material—not an official HR policy—and admitted it wrongly mentioned restrictions on bindi and tilak. He said the error was identified and removed on February 17, before the issue became public.

Taking responsibility, he acknowledged the lapse as a leadership oversight and assured stricter review of internal content going forward. He also reaffirmed that Lenskart does not and will never restrict any form of respectful religious expression, including bindi and tilak, and thanked people for raising the concern.
Edited by : Mary Rose Baba