CEO Peyush Bansal shares apology after Lenskart’s ‘grooming guide’ sparks religious symbols row

The unverified viral document appeared to list restrictions on visible religious symbols, including bindis, tilak, and burqas.

Lenskart CEO and Shark Tank India fame Peyush Bansal recently addressed a controversy that started after a screenshot of an alleged employee grooming policy went viral on social media.

The unverified viral document appeared to list restrictions on visible religious symbols, including bindis, tilak, and burqas. It also mentioned turbans and hijabs, along with rules concerning tattoos, hairbands, and caps.

Described as part of the company’s internal “style guide” and even citing page numbers, it led many to believe it was taken from an official employee handbook.

Responding to the public backlash, Bansal said an earlier version of the policy included wording that did not align with the company’s values.

In a post that was later deleted, he wrote, “An older version of our grooming policy had language that didn’t reflect our values. When it came to my notice in Feb this year, we got it fixed immediately, much before this conversation. Lapse was in language; intent was never in question. I should have caught this sooner. That’s on me.”

Later, on Wednesday, Bansal clarified on X that the document currently circulating is inaccurate and does not represent the company’s existing policies.

“Our policy has no restrictions on any form of religious expression, including bindi and tilak, and we continue to review our guidelines regularly.”

“Our grooming policy has evolved over the years and outdated versions do not represent who we are today. We apologize for the confusion and concern this situation has caused. We as a company, continue to learn and build. Any lapses in our language or policies have and will continue to be addressed. We have thousands of team members across Bharat who wear their faith and culture proudly every day at our stores. They are Lenskart,” the post added.

See here:

Hi, all. I’ve been seeing an inaccurate policy document going viral about Lenskart.

I want to speak directly that this document does not reflect our present guidelines.

Our policy has no restrictions on any form of religious expression, including bindi and tilak, and we…

— Peyush Bansal (@peyushbansal) April 15, 2026

The post, however, did not sit well with social media users and invited criticism. “Can you upload the latest version here, now? Or which version you are implementing now in the company? The document available to the public was uploaded in feb 2026. I’m very curious to know the latest grooming guide version and its details,” a user wrote.

“It’s better to accept the mistake rather than committing more mistakes in order to hide the first mistake,” another user commented. “A most shameful thing to have; I am surprised that this even existed at all in first Place. You are part of 0.5 that the nation keeps fighting,” a third user reacted.

Lenskart CEO and Shark Tank India fame Peyush Bansal recently addressed a controversy that started after a screenshot of an alleged employee grooming policy went viral on social media.

The unverified viral document appeared to list restrictions on visible religious symbols, including bindis, tilak, and burqas. It also mentioned turbans and hijabs, along with rules concerning tattoos, hairbands, and caps.

Described as part of the company’s internal “style guide” and even citing page numbers, it led many to believe it was taken from an official employee handbook.

Responding to the public backlash, Bansal said an earlier version of the policy included wording that did not align with the company’s values.

In a post that was later deleted, he wrote, “An older version of our grooming policy had language that didn’t reflect our values. When it came to my notice in Feb this year, we got it fixed immediately, much before this conversation. Lapse was in language; intent was never in question. I should have caught this sooner. That’s on me.”

Later, on Wednesday, Bansal clarified on X that the document currently circulating is inaccurate and does not represent the company’s existing policies.

“Our policy has no restrictions on any form of religious expression, including bindi and tilak, and we continue to review our guidelines regularly.”

“Our grooming policy has evolved over the years and outdated versions do not represent who we are today. We apologize for the confusion and concern this situation has caused. We as a company, continue to learn and build. Any lapses in our language or policies have and will continue to be addressed. We have thousands of team members across Bharat who wear their faith and culture proudly every day at our stores. They are Lenskart,” the post added.

See here:

Hi, all. I’ve been seeing an inaccurate policy document going viral about Lenskart.

I want to speak directly that this document does not reflect our present guidelines.

Our policy has no restrictions on any form of religious expression, including bindi and tilak, and we…

— Peyush Bansal (@peyushbansal) April 15, 2026

The post, however, did not sit well with social media users and invited criticism. “Can you upload the latest version here, now? Or which version you are implementing now in the company? The document available to the public was uploaded in feb 2026. I’m very curious to know the latest grooming guide version and its details,” a user wrote.

“It’s better to accept the mistake rather than committing more mistakes in order to hide the first mistake,” another user commented. “A most shameful thing to have; I am surprised that this even existed at all in first Place. You are part of 0.5 that the nation keeps fighting,” a third user reacted.