Lenskart Embroiled in Escalating Boycott Controversy Over Alleged Discriminatory Employee Grooming Policies

n an immediate effort to mitigate the fallout, Peyush Bansal responded by distancing the corporation from the controversial document, asserting in a public statement that the circulating material was inaccurate and did not reflect present company guidelines. Bansal explicitly stated that the Lenskart policy has no restrictions on any form of religious expression, including the bindi and tilak, and noted that the company continues to review its guidelines regularly. Furthermore, the chief executive acknowledged a lapse in the specific language used in certain internal materials and committed to ensuring those errors were corrected. However, this clarification has failed to quell the unrest, as a Moneycontrol report has since cited accounts from both former and current employees who allege that religious markers have indeed been flagged during formal store audits.

The gravity of these allegations is underscored by the testimony of Harsh Hatekar, a former flagship store manager from Pune, who claimed his outlet lost audit points in October 2024 because staff members were wearing the kalawa, a sacred thread commonly tied around the wrist in Hindu practice. Additional reports indicate that other employees have described similar experiences involving formal complaints to HR and disciplinary pressure linked directly to grooming checks. Even with the company’s official stance of inclusion, the controversy refuses to subside as employee accounts and viral videos continue to drive a high-stakes conversation. This ongoing crisis represents a significant moment of tension for Lenskart, highlighting a deep-seated conflict between corporate branding and the lived experiences of its workforce regarding religious identity in the workplace.