Wear your national dress on Metro as long as it’s decent, says RTA

An incident where an Indian tourist was not allowed to travel on Dubai Metro because he was wearing a ‘dhoti’ [a long loincloth],  has attracted media attention across the UAE as well as in India.

According to media reports, an elderly person visiting his daughter in the emirate was stopped by a police official at a Dubai Metro station because of his attire.

He was reportedly wearing a ‘dhoti’ when he was stopped from embarking on the Metro. For the uninitiated, ‘dhoti’ or ‘mundu’ is a traditional men’s attire that resembles a sarong and is tied firmly around the waist, and covers from waist down till the toes.

The daughter said that despite her pleas and efforts to make the cop understand that what her father was wearing wasn’t disrespectful, they weren’t allowed to board the Metro. She added that her father had worn the attire earlier and travelled on the Dubai Metro without any hassles.

The Road Transport Authority (RTA) has, however, clarified that they don’t object to the ‘dhoti’, and their dress code is in line with that of the Dubai government.

“We only insist that the dress is respectable,” explained Ramadan Abdullah, Director of Operations at the RTA’s Rail Agency.

Talking to Emirates 24|7, he added, “As long as it covers well, we have no objections.

“There is no problem. People are welcome to wear their local dress as long as it is decent. We don’t prevent anyone based on this. This city welcomes everyone from every part of the world.”

He claimed this is the first time that such an issue has been raised.

“We will investigate and find out what actually happened.”

Ramadan added that he was unaware if a complaint had been filed, but explained that as per the normal procedure, it usually takes 2-3 days for a case to appear.

“Once we get the complaint, we will definitely look into it. We will check the CCTV footage and see what actually happened.”

He added that the RTA will be unable to investigate if a complaint hasn’t been filed. “I need all the details, like the station, time etc., only then can we collect all the information.”