A branch manager of the State Bank of India (SBI) in Karnataka’s Anekal taluk has been transferred after a video surfaced showing her refusing to speak in Kannada and insisting on using Hindi instead. The incident sparked a political and public outcry, with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah calling her remarks “strongly condemnable”.
In the video, which went viral on Tuesday, the woman manager at the Surya Nagar branch is seen arguing with a customer and saying, “I will not speak in Kannada for sure… but Hindi.” The customer, clearly aggressive in his tone, can be heard citing RBI guidelines that encourage the use of regional languages in customer interactions, but the manager repeatedly refuses to switch to Kannada. The video drew sharp criticism from Kannada activists and pro-Kannada organisations, who demanded an official apology and disciplinary action.
Readers can watch the viral video here:
CM Siddaramaiah slams behaviour, welcomes staff transfer
Responding on social media platform ‘X’, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said, “The behaviour of the SBI branch manager in Surya Nagar, Anekal taluk, refusing to speak in Kannada and English and showing disregard to citizens is strongly condemnable. We appreciate SBI’s swift action in transferring the official. The matter may now be treated as closed.”
However, he also warned against the recurrence of such incidents, saying, “All bank employees must treat customers with dignity and make every effort to speak the local language. I urge @FinMinIndia and the Department of Financial Services to mandate cultural and language sensitisation training for all bank staff across India. Respecting the local language is respecting the people.” He concluded the post with the hashtag #KannadaFirst.
Tejasvi Surya seeks enforcement of local language policy
BJP MP from Bengaluru South, Tejasvi Surya, also weighed in, calling the manager’s conduct “simply not acceptable”. He reiterated that banks in Karnataka must serve customers in Kannada. Surya said he had raised this issue weeks ago with the Department of Financial Services (DFS) during a Public Accounts Committee meeting, where the DFS Secretary assured him that measures would be taken to enforce local language requirements.
“It looks like this still isn’t being properly enforced. I urge the concerned authorities at @TheOfficialSBI to immediately implement the DFS policy that mandates local language requirements. I have spoken to relevant officials to take action against the manager who behaved in this manner,” he added.
(With inputs from PTI)
