New Delhi: An Indian restaurant has been shut down by the authorities in Bahrain's Adliya for allegedly refusing entry to a veiled woman.
Following the incident, an apology statement has been posted on social media by the restaurant authority wherein they expressed regret over the incident.
The restaurant authorities have informed that the duty manager, an Indian national, has been suspended with immediate effect.
Bahraini news outlets reported that the incident came to light after a video of the restaurant staff blocking a veiled woman went viral on social media platforms. An investigation has been launched by the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibition Authority and they have also instructed all the tourism outlets to refrain from violating the laws of the kingdom.
The restaurant authorities have said that they reject all actions that discriminate against people, especially when it comes to their national identity and they have also posted a statement on social media where they condemned the incident and clarified that this incident does not represent the restaurant.
"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.
This incident comes amidst the ongoing hijab row in Karnataka and it has attracted the attention of social media users in India. Earlier, the Karnataka High Court has upheld the state's government ban on hijab inside educational institutions and said that the hijab is not fundamental to Islamic practice.
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