The local unit of the Uttar Pradesh Jewellers Association (UPJA) announced on Saturday, January 10, 2026, that they will not sell jewellery to customers wearing veils, burqas, masks, or helmets. The association said this ban is for security reasons due to theft and robbery incidents in several districts. Kamal Singh, district president of UPJA, said, "We will not sell jewellery items to customers whose faces are covered. If a person with a covered face commits a crime, their identity cannot be established. For this, we have put up posters in front of our shops, which state that entry into the shop is prohibited while wearing a mask, burqa, helmet, or veil." Mr. Singh further added that they want their own safety. He said, "If a customer comes wearing a hijab, they should uncover their face upon entering the shop so that the jewellers can feel safe." Satya Narayan Seth, UPJA president, said posters have been displayed at jewellers' shops in many districts including Jhansi. "There are thousands of jewellery shops in Varanasi. Everyone is facing problems with people covering their faces. The association is not opposing any person's religion. It is doing this only for jewellers' own safety. Muslim customers can come wearing a burqa, but they should remove it before entering the shop so that their identity can be confirmed," he said. However, some jewellers disagree with the ban. Shahid, a jeweller from Lohta, said refusing entry to burqa-wearing customers is wrong and will drive them away. He called asking women to remove the burqa an insult. Shahid added, "If there is a female employee in the shop, she can see the woman's face, but a male employee cannot remove the woman's burqa to see her face; this is not right." On the legal side, government advocate Rana Sanjeev Singh said this ban is acceptable. He noted, "Recently, several incidents have surfaced on social media and in the media where women wearing burqas were caught on CCTV cameras stealing from jewellery shops and their identities could not be established due to the veil. Everyone has the right to their own security. There is nothing wrong with that."