Man barred from passport office for wearing shorts: ‘There are elders, women around'

Hindustan Times

30-04-2025

A security guard at a passport office in India denied entry to a young man for wearing shorts, sparking a broader discussion about appropriate clothes for official work. The incident was witnessed by X user Vineeth K, who posted about it on the social media platform yesterday.
Vineeth, a 35-year-old consultant, told HT.com that the incident occurred at a regional passport office at a Tier-2 city in India.
Vineeth said that he was waiting for his turn outside the passport office when he saw the young adult being denied entry to the office over his choice of clothes. The security guard stationed outside the passport office told the youngster that shorts were not allowed inside.
The young man was surprised by this and questioned the logic of the rule. He told the guard that shorts are what he wears to his corporate office and asked why he could not wear them to the passport office.
A long discussion ensued, after which the youngster's father went inside to request the passport officer for a one-time exception, claiming they had travelled a long distance to reach the passport office. The young man was then allowed to enter the office.
Meanwhile, the guard entered into a discussion with Vineeth, sharing his own grouses. The security guard complained about the lack of respect in the younger generation and said that women and elderly people might feel uncomfortable seeing a man in shorts at the office.
'Some people don't give value to our work & our offices. Who comes to the office in night wear ? There are women, elders inside - what if they feel uncomfortable ? Entire generation is getting spoilt & their parents don't say a word,' the guard complained.
X user Vineeth asked his followers for their opinion, sparking a heated debate on work-wear.
Many people disagreed with the guard. 'It is their office, not ours. At the end of the day, we are customers who are paying a fee and getting their services! If they want a certain dress code for the visitors, they should mention it on their page!' X user Sujit wrote.
'What's so offensive about shorts ? We used to have the entire Indian police force wearing shorts until the 70s,' another person pointed out.
'If there is an explicit rule about dress code to passport office then he should be denied. Else he didn't break any rules and he should be allowed in whatever attire he wishes,' an X user said.
On the other hand, dozens of people felt that the youngster should have followed rules. 'I see a lot of people defending the guy in shorts. I used to wonder why we are so bad at following traffic rules on the roads. Now I know why , we don't want to follow rules , we don't want to respect others. I see a different woke culture movement happening,' a user said.