A controversy over Lenskart's alleged dress code escalated when Muslim BJP leader Nazia Elahi protested at a Mumbai store. She applied tilak to employees after a document circulated online suggesting the company discouraged Hindu symbols while allowing hijabs.
The controversy around Lenskart’s alleged dress code policy took a dramatic turn in Mumbai after BJP Minority Morcha leader Nazia Elahi, a Muslim political leader, entered a company showroom and applied tilak on employees as a symbolic protest against the eyewear brand’s grooming rules.
Videos from the protest showed Elahi and accompanying activists confronting store staff over allegations that employees were discouraged from wearing Hindu symbols such as tilak and kalawa while hijabs were permitted under company guidelines. During the protest, tilak was applied to several staff members and sacred threads were tied on their wrists inside the outlet.
The demonstration quickly drew attention online because of Elahi’s identity as a Muslim BJP leader publicly defending the right of Hindu employees to display religious symbols at work.
According to the report, protesters demanded answers from the showroom manager and questioned whether the company was enforcing unequal standards for religious expression inside stores. Some activists also raised slogans and called for action against the retailer until a full explanation is provided.
Also Read: Lenskart's new style guide permits bindi, tilak, hijab for staff
The row began after a document circulating online allegedly showed that Lenskart’s earlier grooming policy permitted black hijabs and turbans while restricting visible Hindu symbols including tilak, bindi and kalawa. The document triggered sharp criticism on social media.
Lenskart founder Peyush Bansal later said the document was outdated and did not reflect the company’s current policy. The company stated that all faith-based symbols are now permitted across stores.
However, the Mumbai protest has shifted the controversy from social media into a public confrontation, putting the company under fresh pressure.
The unusual image of a Muslim BJP leader applying tilak to employees has now become one of the most talked-about moments in the controversy, turning a corporate policy dispute into a larger debate over religious identity in Indian workplaces.
