Manama: An Indian restaurant at Bahrain’s Adliya has been shut down by the authorities after it allegedly denied entry to a veiled woman, Gulf Daily News reported. The restaurant authority have put out an apology statement on social media. They have expressed regret for the incident.
The authorities have stated that they have suspended the manager which was on duty at that time. According to reports, the duty manager is an Indian.
Bahrain news outlets reported that this incident came to limelight, after the video of restaurant staff blocking the path of veiled woman went viral on social media platforms.
A probe has been launched by Bahrain Tourism and Exhibition Authority and asked all tourism outlets to avoid any policy that violates the laws of the kingdom. “We reject all actions that discriminate against people, especially regarding their national identity,” the authorities said, as quoted by a local media.
The restaurant management posted a statement on social media and said this incident does not represent the authorities. “Everyone is welcome to Lanterns as how it has been for more than 35 years that we have been serving all nationalities in the beautiful kingdom of Bahrain. Lanterns is a place for everyone to come enjoy with their families and feel at home. In this instance, a mistake has been made by a manager who is now being suspended as this does not represent who we are. As a goodwill gesture, we welcome all our Bahraini patrons to Lanterns on Tuesday 29th of March to have complimentary food on us,” the statement posted on Instagram read.
The incident has captured Indian social media users as it comes amid the ongoing hijab row in Karnataka. The Karnataka high court has upheld the state government’s ban on hijab inside educational institutions and said hijab is not essential to Islamic practice.
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