New Delhi: Air India has come under sharp criticism after its internal grooming guidelines for cabin crew, which appeared to restrict the wearing of bindis, surfaced online earlier this week. The document, which quickly went viral, sparked outrage over perceived curbs on cultural and religious expressions.
According to the guidelines in the circulated handbook, “Tikkas, sindoor of any colour on the forehead is not permitted.” While a small 5mm bindi was optionally allowed with the traditional saree uniform, the rules explicitly stated that “bindi is not permitted with the Indo-Western uniform.”
It appears that this problem runs much deeper.
— Pranav Mahajan (@pranavmahajan) April 18, 2026
Here are some pictures from the Air India Cabin Crew Handbook. Bindi, Sindoor, Tilak etc not allowed.
Why are they doing this so blatantly?#SocietyFromStreet pic.twitter.com/uqVRbXBwwF
In response to the growing controversy, Air India issued a clarification stating that the document being shared is from an outdated manual that is no longer in use. An Air India spokesperson said: “Air India would like to clarify that its employees have the choice to wear bindi. The images being circulated online are from an older manual that is no longer in use.”
This explanation mirrors the argument previously used by eyewear brand Lenskart when it faced similar backlash for a style guide that reportedly allowed hijabs but prohibited bindis or kalawa. Lenskart’s founder and CEO, Peyush Bansal, had apologised on social media platform X, describing the document as an “outdated internal training document” that did not reflect the company’s values or current practice. He noted that the incorrect line about bindi/tilak had been removed immediately upon discovery on February 17, well before the issue became public. On April 18, 2026, Lenskart released an updated style guide that explicitly permits “religious, cultural or family marks (such as bindi, tilak, sindoor or any other).”
The Air India controversy has drawn parallels to the Lenskart episode, with both companies initially facing accusations of religious discrimination before distancing themselves from the documents by labelling them as old and no longer valid.
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