The woman alleged that she was denied entry to the posh restaurant for wearing a saree. The National Commission for Women has taken cognizance of an alleged incident wherein a woman was denied entry at a restaurant in South Delhi’s Ansal Plaza as she was in a saree. The NCW Thursday asked the Delhi Police chief to probe the incident, while also writing to Aquila’s director to appear before it on September 28 with supporting documents and explanation.
“Reportedly, the restaurant’s dress code policy for guests allows only smart casuals and according to the eatery, saree does not fall under smart casuals,” the NCW statement said, adding, “The Commission condemns the arbitrary and bizarre behaviour of restaurant staff and its policies.”
The woman had posted a video on social media of the September 19 incident, saying: “Saree is not allowed in Aquila restaurant as Indian saree is now not a smart outfit. What is the concrete definition of a smart outfit? Plz tell me.” In the video, a staff member can be heard saying, “We only allow smart casuals and saree does not come under smart casuals”.
As the clip went viral, the restaurant faced flak. On Wednesday, it issued a statement: “At Aquila, we believe in honouring our Indian community and have always welcomed our guests in all dress codes from modern to traditional.” They also claimed the woman slapped their staff member. “To tackle the situation and request the guest to leave, one of our gate managers made a statement on sarees not being a part of our smart casual dress code; our whole team apologises for the same,” the statement said.
On Thursday, ABVP members protested inside the Plaza and asked the management to issue an apology.
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