'I was asked to remove tilak': Ex-Lenskart staff alleges discriminatory firing; watch video

A former employee of eyewear retailer Lenskart has alleged that he was dismissed after refusing to remove his religious symbols, adding to an ongoing controversy over the company's workplace policies.

In a video message, Zeel Soghasia said, "I was ordered by @Lenskart_com to cut my shikha and remove my tilak. When I refused to do so, I was fired."

The claim comes amid scrutiny of Lenskart's internal style guidelines after a document surfaced online appearing to restrict certain visible religious markers for store staff.

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Sharing the video, JNU professor Anand Ranganathan wrote: "This is blatant discrimination and bigotry that goes beyond adhering to some internal memo. Mr Soghasia must be recalled and reinstated."

Separately, a social media account, Think Profit, alleged that Soghasia was among two employees affected by the policy. It said he had travelled from Surat to Navi Mumbai for training after receiving a job offer, where he was told on the first day to cut his shikha and remove his tilak and tattoos or risk losing the job. He was allegedly dismissed the next day after refusing.

The same account also cited another case involving a store manager in Pune, who it claimed had raised concerns about similar rules with the company’s human resources team over several months before being terminated on the day he filed a complaint on a government grievance portal.

According to the post, Falake, a Lenskart store manager in Pune, had raised concerns about the policy months earlier. He flagged the issue to the company’s HR in writing on November 25, 2025, and again on December 8. It said that through January and February 2026, store audits led to salary cuts for employees who wore bindis or tikas. 

Falake later escalated the matter to the legal team but received no response. On February 20, he filed a complaint on Maharashtra's government grievance portal. He was terminated the same day, the post claimed.

Lenskart faced criticism after reports that its style guide restricted bindi, tilak, and kalawa while permitting the hijab. The document, which surfaced publicly on April 15, drew criticism online.

Lenskart founder Peyush Bansal denied the allegations, describing the document as "inaccurate". He later said it was an "outdated training document" containing an "incorrect line" that had been removed earlier.

The company has since issued an updated guide stating that employees are free to wear visible markers of faith and tradition as part of their daily attire.