A Rajasthani man has alleged that a hotel in Jaipur denied him a room to stay when it was revealed to the staff that a woman belonging to a different faith would also be staying with him. The 31-year-old man — a teacher in southern Rajasthan — was on his way to Delhi on an official trip.
Though the hotel’s official website states in its house rules’ guest profile that unmarried couples are allowed to stay, the staff told the man that he could not check in because he was a Muslim and the woman, who was to arrive later, was a Hindu.
The man, who wanted to remain anonymous, told The Hindu on Tuesday that the woman, whom he knew for 13 years, was a friend and was coming from Delhi to Jaipur for some work. “Since both of us had to reach Jaipur at almost the same time, we decided to meet and stay together during the day,” he said.
The incident took place on Saturday morning. When the staff at the hotel — one of Oyo’s Silver Key Executive Stays in Jaipur — raised objection to the two persons checking in, the man tried to convince them that there was no law that prohibited people from different religions and gender from staying together.
When the hotel staff did not relent, the man raised the issue with the travel booking app, which refunded the booking amount and provided him a room in a different hotel for free. “But that is not really the solution. How can a hotel refuse to let two adults in if they hail from different religions?” the man said.
The man said he had not made any complaint to the police in connection with the incident, even though the hotel staff had stated that they had received “instructions from the police” not to allow couples of different religions.
The hotel chain, Oyo Homes & Hotels, has said in an official statement that it does not allow any form of discrimination across all of its properties and takes strict action in such instances, which can also lead to termination of contract with the asset owners.
