After Lenskart row, IndiGo under fire! Grooming policy sparks massive ‘tilak vs rules’ debate online - Airline responds

The whole “religious symbols vs company rules” debate just doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Right after the drama around Lenskart, another big name has landed in the middle of a similar controversy - IndiGo.

This time, the issue picked up steam on X (formerly Twitter), where a user shared screenshots of what are being described as the airline’s internal grooming manuals. The documents - titled “Male Poise” and “Female Poise” - appear to suggest restrictions on certain visible religious items like tilak, sindoor, mangalsutra, and kalawa. At the same time, many users claimed that other religious identifiers may still be allowed, which is where the debate really heated up.





Social media reactions were quick - and intense.
A section of users started calling for a boycott, while others took a more warning-heavy tone. One viral post even compared the situation to the downfall of Jet Airways, basically hinting that brands shouldn’t take public sentiment lightly, especially in a competitive space like aviation.



Some people were simply angry, asking the airline to roll back the rules immediately. Others took a broader view, saying maybe it’s time for clearer, uniform guidelines for companies when it comes to handling religious expression at work. The idea being - if there’s a proper framework, situations like this won’t keep repeating.
What’s interesting is that this didn’t come out of nowhere.

Just earlier this month, Lenskart found itself in a very similar spot. An internal style guide from the company went viral and sparked outrage because it reportedly allowed some religious attire like hijabs and turbans, while flagging things like bindis and tilaks as “not allowed.”

The backlash was pretty serious - online criticism, boycott calls, and even protests in a few cities. Eventually, CEO Peyush Bansal stepped in, clarified that the document was outdated, and issued an apology. The company has since updated its policy to clearly allow all religious symbols.

Now, with IndiGo facing similar questions, the larger conversation is back on the table: how should companies balance uniform policies with personal beliefs?

There’s no easy answer - but one thing is clear. People are paying attention, and brands are being held accountable in real time.

Meanwhile, the airline company in an official statement called the documents floating around on the internet, to be "incorrect," “IndiGo would like to clarify that the documents circulating on social media regarding our grooming policy are incorrect. We request everyone to exercise caution and refrain from sharing unverified or fabricated documents. Further, we would like to add that all our policies, especially for cabin crew and pilots, are designed inline with global best practices and with the primary objective of ensuring safety of operations and wellbeing of our crew and customers onboard. IndiGo remains firmly committed to fostering an inclusive workplace. The safety and well-being of our crew, customers, and employees continue to be our highest priority,” reads the press statement.