New Delhi: Bahrain's authorities have closed down an Indian eatery for reportedly refusing access to a lady wearing a veil, news website GDN Online reported.
Bahrain Tourism and Exhibition Authority have launched an investigation into the incident. The claimed event occurred inside the Lanterns restaurant in Bahrain's capital Manama's Adliya neighbourhood.
According to The Daily Tribune, the BTEA stated that eateries should avoid imposing practises that contradict the country's laws.
“We reject all actions that discriminate against people, especially regarding their national identity,” it said.
The administration further stated that the restaurant was shuttered in line with Decree-Law Number 15 of 1986, which governs tourism-related enterprises.
The Lanterns restaurant said on Thursday that a manager who is accused of barring the woman from visiting its premises has been fired "since this does not represent who we are."
“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,” the restaurant said.
It invited Bahrainis to eat for free at the restaurant on March 29 as a "goodwill gesture."
The episode in Bahrain involving an Indian man eatery comes at a time when prohibition on wearing the headscarf in educational establishments recently triggered unrest in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, and the matter reached the courts of law.