Viral ‘Thakur Hoon Main’ Video: HDFC Bank Employee Breaks Silence
The employee issues a clarification after a viral video triggers online criticism and questions about conduct.
An HDFC Bank employee based in Kanpur has issued a public clarification after a short video of her saying “Thakur hoon main” (“I am a Thakur”) during a heated exchange went viral on social media and sparked widespread reaction. The employee, Aastha Singh, sought to explain the context of the clip and address criticism over her language and conduct.
The roughly 33-second clip that circulated online appears to show Singh in a tense verbal confrontation with a man inside the bank’s Panki branch. In the footage, she raises her voice and is heard using caste-referenced language, which many social media users interpreted as an attempt to invoke her caste identity in a moment of anger. The incident quickly attracted commentary and controversy on platforms such as X and Instagram.
In a video statement responding to the uproar, Singh said the widely shared clip is more than a month old, dating from January 6, and did not involve a bank customer as widely assumed. She clarified that the disagreement was with the husband of a colleague, not someone seeking services, and stressed the context has been misinterpreted and incompletely portrayed online.
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Singh acknowledged that her remarks were made in a moment of frustration but maintained she had been defending herself after being verbally provoked. She reiterated that she stands by her identity with pride but insisted there was no casteist intent behind her words, and that the video’s circulation has unfairly harmed her reputation.
The clarification has done little to quell online debate. Some commentators have criticised Singh’s choice of language as unprofessional, while others argue the video was selectively edited and misrepresented. So far, HDFC Bank has not issued a detailed public statement on disciplinary action or internal investigation in connection with the viral clip.
This episode highlights the broader sensitivities around workplace conduct and caste-related language in India’s social media era, where brief recordings can rapidly fuel public debate and reputational repercussions for individuals and institutions alike.
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