Foreign models made to take off saffron dupatta at Taj

Scores of activists from saffron outfits on Thursday held demonstrations in Agra in protest against “forcing” a group of foreign models to “take off” their “bhagwa” (saffron) dupatta before entering the Taj Mahal.

The saffron activists, who were also joined by the district BJP unit leaders, demanded action against the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) officials for “showing disrespect” to Hindu culture. The ASI looks after the maintenance of the Taj.

According to reports, a group of 34 models from foreign countries had arrived in the Taj city from Delhi, where they participated in a function, on Wednesday.

The models had covered their heads with saffron-coloured dupattas on which was written the name of Lord Rama. Such dupattas are usually sold near temples.

The security personnel at the Taj asked the models to take off their dupattas saying that anything that carried religious symbols could not be allowed inside the monument if the individual who had them did not belong to the same religion, sources said.

“Since the dupattas had symbols of Hindu religion and were worn by foreigners, they were not allowed,” said an official at Taj.

The models were allowed in only after they handed over their dupattas to the security personnel.

“It amounts to showing disrespect to Hindu culture...the guilty officials should be acted against,” said Ajju Chauhan, a leader of the Hindu Jagaran Manch, a saffron outfit.

They also held demonstrations near the monument to register their protest.