Bihar: A dispute erupted in a State Bank of India (SBI) branch in Chandapura, Bengaluru, after a manager from Bihar refused to speak Kannada with a local customer, insisting instead on using Hindi. The incident, captured in a viral video, has sparked a wider debate on language and regional identity in Karnataka.
The video shows the SBI manager, Priyanka, telling a customer, “This is India, I will speak Hindi,” while the customer insists, “First Kannada, then the country.” Priyanka asserts, “You have not given me the job,” responding to the customer’s request to speak in Kannada.
As tensions escalated, bystanders tried to calm the situation. The video clip, lasting one minute and 23 seconds, has since circulated widely on social media, prompting swift action from SBI and Karnataka’s state government.
SBI issued a statement emphasizing its commitment to respecting customer sentiments and zero tolerance for disrespectful behaviour. The bank confirmed the manager’s transfer to another branch and announced an ongoing internal investigation.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah condemned the incident and praised SBI’s prompt response. On social media platform X, he called the refusal to speak Kannada “highly condemnable” and urged all bank employees to exercise linguistic and cultural sensitivity. He also recommended mandatory local language training for banking staff nationwide.
The controversy also attracted political commentary. BJP spokesperson Arvind Singh criticised the Congress-led Karnataka government for allowing divisive issues over language and caste to arise. Meanwhile, Bihar Congress spokesperson Dr Snehashish Vardhan Pandey assured that justice would be served for the manager from Bihar and highlighted the state government’s swift investigation.
The episode underscores ongoing tensions around language politics in Karnataka, highlighting the need for respectful communication in India’s multilingual society.
