07-07-2025
Canara Bank customer pleads ‘I don't know English', staff can't speak Kannada
A video showing a Kannada-speaking woman confronting a Canara Bank official in Chikkamagaluru, Karnataka, was widely circulated on social media where the customer is pleading with the official to explain a financial deduction in Kannada. The woman claimed the official, reportedly a Malayalam speaker, was unable to assist her in Kannada regarding an unexplained money deduction from her incident took place at the Canara Bank AIT Circle branch in Chikkamagaluru. The customer, reportedly distressed over an unexplained deduction of funds meant for hospital expenses, was seen struggling to communicate with the staff. 'I don't know English,' the woman says in the video, voicing frustration that the bank staffer could not clarify the issue in official, who was reportedly a Malayalam speaker, is heard responding, 'She is unable to follow what I am saying,' indicating the language barrier.
Local pro-Kannada group Kannada Sene members criticised the bank for posting non-Kannada-speaking staff in customer-facing roles, especially in rural areas where many residents depend on agriculture and may not be fluent in Hindi or English. They demanded the bank take immediate steps to deploy Kannada-speaking bank, in response to the growing public anger, issued a statement via its official handle on X saying: 'Kannada is our foundation, your support is our strength. For Canara Bank, Karnataka is not just a state, it is our birthplace. Kannada is not merely a language to us, it is a feeling, a pride. We are committed to providing services in the local language at every branch in the state.'The bank also noted that staff postings sometimes involve employees from different states due to India's multilingual is not the first time a public sector bank in Karnataka has come under scrutiny for language insensitivity. In May, a similar controversy erupted after a video showed an SBI official at the Surya Nagara branch in Anekal Taluk refusing to speak Kannada with a local customer.- Ends
