Jaipur: A viral video shows a burqa-clad woman being stopped from entering a Canara bank branch in the Jagatpura area of Jaipur. The security guard at the bank cited “guidelines”, insisting that she remove her burqa to enter the premises, reports Vartha Bharati on September 6.
In the over 5-minute video, the woman can be seen politely requesting entry into the bank, to which the guard responds by saying that she must remove her burqa as it is “not allowed” as per the guidelines. When the woman questions the guard about these alleged guidelines, he firmly states, “Burqa allowed nahi hai, humko jo guideline mili hai (Burqa is not allowed as per the guidelines given to us),” and proceeds to lock the bank gates. The woman persists in asking the guard to provide proof of the guidelines that prohibit burqas, and he momentarily reopens the gate, stating that he would allow her if his boss permits.
While waiting outside the bank for the “sir” to respond to her request, two to three people are seen entering the bank premises. Afterward, a man escorts the woman to the bank manager’s office, where she insists on seeing the guidelines against wearing a burqa. The manager, seemingly on the defensive over the apparent blunder, claims that she was denied entry not because of her burqa but because it was lunchtime. He also requests her to “stop recording inside the bank premises.”
The woman alleges that the bank locked its premises soon after she stepped outside for some work. However, the manager confronts her, stating that she should not record inside the bank and that the bank was locked during lunchtime, not because of her. In the video, two other female bank employees intervene to try and defuse the situation, but the woman in the burqa continues to accuse the bank management of intentionally excluding her.
The police have reported that the woman involved has not filed any police complaint about the incident and suggested that the bank’s actions were due to “security reasons,” the report adds.
“We spoke to the bank manager…. There is no such guideline. The woman was trying to enter during lunch hours. The guard asked her to reveal her face due to security reasons… They (the woman and her companions) returned (after briefly leaving the bank for some work) and mentioned the burqa again and again,” the report cites CI Arun Chaudhary of Ramnagariya police station as saying.
The woman has not lodged any complaint with the police regarding the incident.
The video, however, has gained widespread attention on social media, leading to calls for action against the bank staff involved.
