A State Bank of India official at the Surya Nagar branch in Anekal Taluk has sparked controversy by refusing to communicate in Kannada, Karnataka’s official language, during an interaction with a customer. A video of the altercation, now viral, shows the woman officer repeatedly denying requests to speak Kannada. When the customer reminds her, “This is Karnataka, madam,” she retorts, “This is India,” adding, “I will speak Hindi, not Kannada,” before walking away and declaring, “I will never speak Kannada.”
The incident ignited backlash on social media, with users tagging the Finance Minister and RBI, accusing the officer of linguistic insensitivity, customer mistreatment, and violation of RBI’s local language guidelines. One post claimed the officer “disrespected Kannada” and demanded swift disciplinary action.
Responding to the uproar, a second video surfaced where the officer, assisted by a colleague, issued an apology in Kannada, stating, “If I have hurt anyone, I sincerely apologise. I will try to conduct business in Kannada going forward.”
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah condemned the incident, calling the officer’s actions “strongly condemnable.” He acknowledged SBI’s response in transferring the staffer and urged the Finance Ministry to ensure such episodes are not repeated. “All bank staff must treat customers respectfully and make genuine efforts to use the local language,” he stated, further advocating mandatory cultural and linguistic sensitisation for banking personnel nationwide.
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