HDFC bank's 'Vigil Aunty' ad sparks outrage among netizens

HDFC Bank has been facing backlash on social media for its advertisement campaign, Vigil Aunty, which is aimed at raising awareness of financial fraud. The campaign features a woman referred to as ‘Vigil Aunty,’ sporting a stop-sign-like bindi on her forehead.

The bank’s attempt was to motivate citizens all around the nation to adopt secure banking practices. However, it has been met with criticism from netizens who have termed the advertisement “anti-Hindu”. The bank has not yet responded to the outrage and netizens have called for a boycott of HDFC Bank and its services. #antihinduhdfc also started trending on social media platform X after newspaper images of the ad surfaced on the internet recently.

Excuse Me @HDFC_Bank @HDFCBank_Cares 👇

The bindi holds a sacred significance for Hindus. The portrayal of a woman wearing a bindi designed as the universal prohibition sign, commonly known as the 'no' symbol, is highly offensive and completely inappropriate.

All HDFC Bank… pic.twitter.com/qdHflXjqmk

— ADV. ASHUTOSH J. DUBEY 🇮🇳 (@AdvAshutoshBJP) October 16, 2023

🙏 @HDFC_Bank & @HDFCBank_Cares

Is this how you represent Hindu culture with a 🚫 on woman’s forehead?

How culturally blind are you?

You are the 4th largest bank in the world & you carry a large responsibility of representing India correctly

Please withdraw this infomercial https://t.co/cqOGFShzeP

— Kreately.in (@KreatelyMedia) October 16, 2023

HDFC Bank’s Vigil Aunty campaign, launched in August 2022, aims to promote freedom from fraud by encouraging safe banking habits. The campaign reads 'Join the Vigil army. Let's fight back. Financial Frauds are the new enemy and they are bigger and trickier than ever. 'Don't get Scammed' is an initiative to arm you with all the information you need to stay one step ahead of the latest rampant frauds'

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