SBI branch manager transferred after she argues with customer over speaking Kannada

BENGALURU: The manager at SBI branch in Chandapura branch was transferred to another state overnight after she and the bank faced massive backlash from Kannadigas and Kannada groups condemning her arrogant behaviour with a customer over a language issue.

When a customer asked the manager to speak in Kannada, the manager arrogantly refused, saying she would never speak in Kannada and implying that Karnataka is not the only part of India. She said this is India and refused to speak in Kannada though the customer can be heard reminding her of the RBI’s three-language policy.

The incident occurred when a customer visited the SBI branch in Chandapura for some work and asked the manager to speak in Kannada. However, the manager, who is reportedly from North India, refused to speak in Kannada and instead asked the customer to speak in Hindi.

The manager’s behaviour has sparked outrage among Kannadigas and pro-Kannada groups and a video of the incident has gone viral on social media.

This incident comes on the heels of a similar controversy involving singer Sonu Nigam, who made a similar provocative statement a few days ago.

The bank manager’s behaviour has raised questions about the importance of respecting local languages and cultures. As the Kannada language issue heated up, SBI took swift action in transferring the official.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah too condemned the SBI manager’s arrogant behaviour with the customer and appreciated the swift action of SBI against the female manager.

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.…

— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) May 21, 2025

Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya, taking the X handle, wrote that “This behaviour by @TheOfficialSBI Branch Manager is simply not acceptable. I urge the concerned at @TheOfficialSBI to immediately implement the DFS policy that mandates local language requirements. I have spoken to concerned authorities to take action against this manager who has behaved in this manner. Banks working in Karnataka should serve customers in Kannada. Period”.

This behaviour by @TheOfficialSBI Branch Manager is simply not acceptable.

If you are doing customer interface work in Karnataka, especially in a sector like banking , it is important to communicate to customers in the language they know. Being adamant like this is simply not… pic.twitter.com/VPB8i5eTvB

— Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) May 21, 2025

Basavaraju Padukote, Kannada Rakshana Vedike activist, said this kind of incidents are happening repeatedly at SBI, where people are being oppressed. “We will give a month’s time for all SBL managers to learn Kannada and communicate in Kannada. If not, we’ll have to gerao all branches. Such officers need to be terminated. They should apologise and change their behaviour immediately. We request the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister to ensure jobs for Kannadigas. We’ll make sure this happens”.

Protesters stormed the bank and staged a protest in front of the manager’s room, demanding that the anti-Kannada bank manager be called to the spot. They insisted that she should come and apologise, and vowed not to end the protest until then.