Amritsar GPO Language Row escalates: Postal assistant alleges harassment, seeks action

January 2, 2026

A controversy has erupted after a video from a post office at Rialto Chowk in Amritsar, Punjab, went viral on social media. Following the video’s emergence, postal assistant Vishal Singh and postal department officials have also responded.

Postal assistant resident of Delhi 

Postal assistant Vishal Singh stated that he is a resident of Delhi and has been working at the Amritsar post office for the past four years. He said that he is fluent in both Hindi and English, but a person who recently visited the post office pressured him to speak and read Punjabi.

Working in Hindi and English, alleged pressure to speak Punjabi

According to Vishal Singh, he clearly stated that he does not know Punjabi and that the postal department officially uses only Hindi and English. He explained that the postal department falls under the central government, and employees can be posted to any part of the country.

Therefore, learning the language of every state is not practical. He asked whether it would be mandatory for him to learn the local language if he were posted to Bengal or Tamil Nadu in the future.

Allegations of forced video recording and abusive language

Vishal Singh alleged that the person forcibly recorded a video of him and used abusive language. He demanded a fair investigation into the entire matter and strict action against the person who made the video.

He said that the post office handles people’s private mail, documents, and money related to fixed deposits, and therefore, making a video constitutes a serious violation of privacy.

Meanwhile, the post office supervisor, Gursharanjeet Singh, said that the matter has come to his attention and he also supports taking strict action against the person who made the video. He said that his employee was intimidated and threatened, and an attempt was made to tarnish the department’s image, which will not be tolerated.