An Australian couple was harassed by an angry Indian mob at a prominent restaurant in Central Bangalore on Saturday because of a tattoo. Matt Keith and his girlfriend were having lunch at the restaurant when they were accosted by a group of people, who said that Keith's tattoo of the Hindu Goddess Yelamma on his shin offended their religion, according to The Associated Press.
"One of them came to me and confronted me about my tattoo," the 21-year-old said, according to The Hindu. "Soon, they surrounded us and threatened to skin my leg and remove the tattoo."
A policeman arrived at the scene and instead of helping them, he berated Keith for sporting the artwork. "A policeman arrived and said this is India and one couldn't sport such a tattoo on the leg," Keith said.
The mob detained the couple for hours, took them to a local police station and forced them to write a letter of apology before allowing them to leave. A video posted on YouTube shows the angry mob harassing the couple while Keith and his friend try to reason with the police. Keith also shared a picture of the "forced" letter of apology in a Facebook post.
"I should not have to apologize for what is on my skin and be put in a traumatizing situation where it is apparently acceptable to be harassed, threatened and mobbed," he wrote.
Sandeep Patil, Bangalore's deputy commissioner of police, has ordered an enquiry into the incident and is being investigated by local police.
"If police forced the couple to give an apology, it is a serious matter," Patil said.
The Australian High Commission expressed its concern and said that the consulate general is in communication with local authorities.
"The Australian Government encourages Australians traveling abroad to research and respect local customs and laws," a spokesperson added, according to Time.
My forced letter of apology that I had to write before I could leave the police station at Ashok Nagar. I should not...
Posted by Matt Keith on Sunday, 18 October 2015
