'Relocating to Pune': Bengaluru founder won’t let non-Kannada staff be language row 'victim'

A tech founder is shutting his Bengaluru office and relocating operations to Pune, citing staff concerns in the wake of a viral video showing a State Bank of India manager refusing to speak Kannada to a customer.

Kaushik Mukherjee, in a post on X, said the move came directly from his team. “This idea was mooted by the staff themselves,” he wrote. “I agreed to their POV.”

The decision followed a now-infamous incident at SBI’s Suryanagar branch in Chandapura, where the manager flatly refused requests to speak in Kannada, saying, “I will never speak in Kannada. Show me the rules.”

“If this language nonsense is to continue, I do not want my non-Kannada speaking staff to be the next ‘victim,’” Mukherjee posted.

The backlash against the bank employee was swift. BJP MP Tejaswi Surya condemned the conduct as “unacceptable,” urging that customer-facing roles in Karnataka require Kannada fluency. 

“Banks working in Karnataka should serve customers in Kannada. Period,” he said, adding that he had raised the issue with central authorities.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also condemned the manager’s behavior and applauded SBI’s decision to transfer her. “The matter may now be treated as closed,” he said on X.

Still, Kannada groups protested outside the bank, calling for stricter penalties. Police confirmed the incident but said no official complaint was filed.

Mukherjee’s exit underscores rising unease among non-Kannada-speaking professionals in Karnataka.