Lenskart bindi-hijab controversy:Viral letter bans bindi tilak but allows hijab; what did CEO say over dress code row?

Lenskart has gotten embroiled in a controversy over its alleged dress code. An alleged policy document of the company has gone viral on social media. As per the documents, employees have been prohibited from wearing bindi, tilak, and kalava, while hijab and turban have been permitted with conditions. The controversy escalated when activist Shefali Vaidya shared a screenshot of it on X. She asked the company’s founder – Peyush Bansal, can you clarify why hijab is acceptable at Lenskart but bindi and kalava are not? Following this, people trolled Lenskart and questioned the company’s policy. Piyush Bansal said – Viral document is old and not applicable currently Piyush Bansal called the viral document old and incorrect. He said that it does not reflect the company’s current guidelines. The company respects all religions. We have thousands of team members in the country who proudly wear their faith and culture every day. What is written in the viral document? According to this ‘grooming guide’ shared on social media, female employees are not allowed to wear bindi or clutcher in the store. Also, instructions were given to remove religious threads (kalava) or wrist bands worn on hands. Meanwhile, the same document states that if an employee wears a hijab or turban, it should be black in color. The length of the hijab should be such that it does not hide the company logo. However, wearing a burqa while working in the store has been prohibited. Company earned profit of ₹131 crore in December quarter Lenskart’s profit increased over 70 times in the December quarter. The company’s net profit had reached ₹131 crore from ₹1.85 crore a year ago. ​