Popular Indian spectacles startup owned by Entrepreneur and investor at Shark Tank India,Lenskartis surrounded by controversiesand allegations after the TCS conversion racket burst . A young man from Surat, Gujrat who was a trainee at Lenskart's academy at Mumbai.
He reported himself at thecentreof an uncomfortable demand. The company officials asked him to remove hisShika,which is a scared tuft of hair worn by devout Hindus andTikal,and told him that if he refuses to doso,he willlosehis job. What began as a whisper from one employee's experienceand turned outto bean explosive corporate controversyafter TCS's conversion gang.
Social Media Sparks Debate As Internal Document Leaks
The spark that ignited social media was a leaked internal document which is claimed to bethe company's Style Guide. The viral style guidementionsthat religiousTikka and Bindiare not allowed. The document was dated 2ndFebruary2026 and clearlyhascompany branding making it more authentic.
The claimed styling guide further mentions thatHijab and Turbanareallowed;they just need to beblack incolourwhile Bindis, Tilaks,Chooda, and Kalawa are not allowed which further sparked the debate online.
As per a post shared on microblogging platform X, thedocument has beenverified by two different AI platforms, and itappeared to betrue. The post spreadrapidly,gainingreactions fromdifferent groupsof people.
Piyush Bansal Response To The Controversy
After the controversy broke all over Internet, founder and CEO of the company, Piyush Bansal broke his silence and claimed that the document is inaccurate and suggest that thisdid not reflect the company's present guidelines and thatoutdated version do notrepresentthe company. However, Bansal's claim of document as false waschallengedwith a community note on X after which he acknowledged thatthe document was genuinealthough incorrect training document. He furtherstatedthat it 'contained an incorrect line about bindi/tilak that should never have been written' and the company has removed it on 17thFebruary, even before itbecomesa public controversy.
Bansal furtherstatedthat 'Lenskartwas built in Bharat, by Indians, for Indians,' adding that thousands of employees acrossthecountry followtheirfaith and culture proudly at workevery day.
Thenetzinesstated online that the controversy is a mirror held up to corporate India.Inclusivity cannot mean selectively accommodating some faiths while quietly sidelining others.