Tourists threatened by Indian mob due to Hindu tattoo
Wednesday, 21 Oct, 2015
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A tourist and his girlfriend were threatened by an Indian mob because he had a tattoo of a Hindu goddess on his leg.
Australian couple Matt Keith and Emily Kassianou were eating in a restaurant in Bangalore when they were surrounded by a gang of locals.
They claim the group threatened to ‘skin’ his leg and sexually abuse his girlfriend because ‘this is India’.
They were taken to Ashok Nagar police station and held for three hours until he agreed to write a letter of apology for ‘offending Hindu religious beliefs’ with his tattoo of the goddess Yellamma, reports the Daily Mail.
Mr Keith said he also had a large tattoo on his back of Ganesha – one of the best known deities in the Hindu pantheon.
He said: "I should not have to apologise for what is on my skin and be put in a traumatising situation where it is apparently acceptable to be harassed, threatened and mobbed."
Tolerance, understanding and equality is what we live by. I respect India and Hinduism completely."
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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