Vice President of Rashtriya Ulema Council Shanul Hasan Syed raises protest; the bank’s Malvani branch admits mistake and removes board
MUMBAI — A controversy erupted on Wednesday when a board at the entrance of a State Bank of India (SBI) Malvani branch in Mumbai’s Malad West suburb stated that wearing helmets, scarves, burqas, and goggles (sunglasses) inside the bank premises was prohibited. The notice sparked strong objection from local Muslim community members, who termed it an insult to their religious identity.
The matter came to light when Shanul Hasan Syed, Vice President of the Rashtriya Ulema Council in Maharashtra, visited the branch for personal work and noticed the board. “I was shocked to see the board. I am surprised at such a mentality of SBI officials. It is an abuse and makes a mockery of the religious identity of a particular community,” he said, sharing his complaint and concerns on social media.
On Thursday morning, a local journalist visited the branch, located at Sawira Heights, and met branch manager Bhijeet Patil of the State Bank of Maharashtra, which shares the building with the SBI branch. Patil clarified that the board was an old notice and that it wrongly mentioned “burqa” instead of “niqab”. He admitted the error, saying: “This is wrong, but I was not aware of it. I have been here for one and a half years and never noticed it. As soon as it was brought to my notice, we corrected the word ‘burqa’ to ‘niqab’.”
Later in the afternoon, at around 3.15 pm, Patil informed that the bank had completely removed the board at the request of the head branch to avoid any further confusion. He added, “The purpose of such instructions is not to provoke or hurt anyone’s religious sentiments, but to ensure security of customers. As per Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines, people should not conceal their identity inside banks, as anybody could misuse it.”
Meanwhile, the branch manager of the nearby Bank of India, also located in the same building, clarified that their branch does not display any such board. However, he acknowledged that the Reserve Bank of India guidelines require visible identification of customers inside bank premises.
He explained that Muslim women wearing burqa or niqab and women from Rajput families who wear veils are exempted from a general ban. “They are allowed to enter wearing a burqa. If they need to withdraw cash but do not want to show their face to a male cashier, then a female bank employee can verify their identity in private. This is part of the RBI guidelines,” he said.
