"What if I go to Bengal..." Post Office employee heckled for not knowing Punjabi in Amritsar

A video showing an argument between a post office employee and a local resident over language use at the Amritsar General Post Office went viral on December 31, triggering a wider debate on linguistic expectations in government offices. The clip shows the employee being questioned for not knowing Punjabi while working in Punjab.

The staffer, identified as Vishal Singh, later clarified that he has been working as a postal assistant at the Amritsar GPO for the past four years and is originally from Delhi. According to him, the incident occurred when a customer approached the counter to post a letter written in Punjabi and objected after Singh said he could not read the language.

Singh stated that he requested the customer to read out or explain the address on the envelope, which led to an argument. He maintained that his role falls under a central government department where official communication is conducted in Hindi and English, and knowledge of regional languages is not mandatory.

He also pointed out that recording videos inside the post office is not permitted, yet the customer proceeded to film the interaction. The video later circulated widely on social media, drawing mixed reactions over language use and workplace conduct.