Dhoti controversy: Traditional dress welcome as long as it's respectable - RTA
Daijiworld Media Network - Dubai
Dubai, Aug 5: A day after reports emerged of an Indian man being stopped by a police official from boarding the Dubai metro because he was wearing a dhoti, the Road Transport Authority said that they do not object to any type of dress as long as it is respectable and in line with dress code of the Dubai government.
"We do not object to the dhoti, but we insist that the dress is respectable,"said Ramadan Abdullah, director of operations at the RTA’s Rail Agency, speaking to a Dubai-based online portal.
He further said that people are welcome to wear their traditional attires, as long as the body is covered well and looks decent. "We don’t prevent anyone based on this. This city welcomes everyone from every part of the world," he said.
Stating that this was the first such instance of its kind in Dubai, he also assured that the incident would be investigated thoroughly once the case is registered.
A dhoti-clad Indian was stopped by a police official from boarding the Dubai metro last Saturday. His daughter Madhumati said that although she pleaded the official and explained that her father had never been stopped before from climbing the metro, the official did not allow him to board.
Earlier Report: Aug 4
Dhoti-clad Indian man stopped from travelling in Dubai Metro
Dubai, Aug 4 (PTI): A 67-year-old Indian visitor was stopped from entering the Dubai Metro, apparently for wearing a traditional Indian dress - dhoti.
According to the victim's daughter Madhumati, a policeman stopped them near the punching gates of the Etisalat Metro Station last Saturday and told her father that this dress was not allowed and he could not go on the Metro wearing it.
"I pleaded with him to let us go... But the policeman wouldn't hear a word. It was really embarrassing and my father was really upset," she was quoted as saying by the Gulf News.
Madhumati said that she tried her best to explain to the policeman that the dhoti was an Indian traditional dress, which covers the body fully but to no avail.
She said her father, who is on a visit to Dubai, had travelled on the Metro wearing the same dress on various occasions but had never been stopped.
According to the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), it has no official RTA dress code or policy.
"What has happened is really surprising. There is no official restriction from the RTA and we have not given instructions on dress codes," said Ramadan Abdullah, Director of Operations at the RTA's Rail Agency.
"I think anything that covers the body and is respectable should be allowed. I believe it was a personal reaction on the part of the policeman and this matter will be investigated."
Abdullah urged the victim to approach the RTA with details of the incident which would help in the investigation.
Madhumati has lodged a formal complaint in the matter.