Bengaluru SBI Official Refuses To Speak Kannada, Transferred
A branch manager of SBI in Bengaluru Rural’s Chandapura was harassed after he refused to speak in Kannada. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah condemned the incident and informed that the official had been transferred by the bank.
In another Hindi Vs Kannada row, a branch manager of SBI in Bengaluru Rural’s Chandapura was harassed after he refused to speak in Kannada, as a customer kept insisting and reminding her that “this is Karnataka". The incident attracted widespread criticism on social media, following which Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah condemned the incident and informed that the official had been transferred by the bank.
The video of the incident is going viral on social media. In the video, the customer kept asking the bank official to speak in Kannada as she was working in a bank in Karnataka, however, the bank employee insisted on using Hindi as she lives in India. The argument between the two went on for a few minutes, leading a disagreement.
This sparked outrage on social media with several users claiming that individuals can speak any language they want, while several termed the bank employee rude as she refused to speak in Kannada.
Taking to X, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah condemned the incident. “The behaviour of the SBI Branch Manager in Surya Nagara, Anekal Taluk, refusing to speak in Kannada & 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," he wrote.
Siddaramaiah further urged Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and the Department of Financial Services to mandate cultural and language sensitisation training for all bank staff across India. “Respecting local language is respecting the people," he added.
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