NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Get together minority morcha chief Nazia Elahi Khan escalated the controversy surrounding Lenskart’s worker gown code after posting a powerful message onIn her newest publish, Khan wrote: “Tilak is your delight, Hindu! Kalaava is your Sankar, Hindu! Sanatan is your id, Hindu! The slogan of Har Har Mahadev is your delight, Hindus! Work at Lenskart or Air India! Wherever you reside, or work by no means compromise your id, Hindus!”Her assertion got here after a video surfaced displaying Khan confronting workers at a Lenskart retailer in Mumbai over allegations that Hindu staff had been discouraged from carrying non secular symbols at work.In keeping with the video, Khan entered the shop with members of her workforce and requested to satisfy the shop supervisor. When the supervisor recognized himself as Mohsin Khan, she questioned him over the alleged ban on tilak and different Hindu symbols. She accused him of selectively limiting Hindu expressions whereas permitting Islamic apparel akin to hijab.Through the change, Khan demanded that Hindu workers members be referred to as ahead and requested them to determine themselves. She then utilized tilak to a number of staff, saying, “There isn’t a disgrace in bearing one, Even I’ve one despite the fact that I’m a Muslim.”She additionally raised slogans and continued concentrating on the supervisor, questioning whether or not he ever compromised on his personal non secular practices whereas allegedly asking Hindu workers to take action. The supervisor repeatedly denied the allegations within the video.The incident has drawn recent consideration to an earlier controversy over Lenskart’s inner gown code. Social media backlash erupted after screenshots of an alleged firm type information had been circulated on-line. The doc appeared to limit symbols akin to tilak and bindi whereas offering separate pointers for hijabs and turbans. Critics claimed the coverage was discriminatory and inconsistent with constitutional protections on non secular freedom.Responding to the criticism, Lenskart mentioned it will revise and standardize its in-store type pointers to obviously enable symbols of religion and tradition. The corporate mentioned the up to date coverage would “explicitly and unambiguously welcome each image of religion and tradition,” together with bindi, tilak, sindoor, hijab and turban.Lenskart additionally issued an apology, saying: “If any model of our office communication brought on damage or made any of our workforce members really feel that their religion was unwelcome, we’re deeply sorry.”The eyewear retailer mentioned it operates greater than 2,400 shops throughout India and that staff convey their “beliefs, traditions and id” to work. It added that future office insurance policies, coaching materials and inner communications would mirror that place.The row has now widened past company coverage, with Khan’s intervention including a political and communal dimension to the controversy over office expression and spiritual id.
