Karni Sena threatens restaurant manager over saffron napkins

In a strange incident, a group of right-wing members in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, threatened a restaurant manager over the use of saffron-coloured napkins.

The group members, who are reportedly from the Kshatriya Karni Sena party, claimed that it is "disrespectful to the Hindu religion and hurts the sentiments of Hindus" to use saffron napkins in a setting where non-vegetarian food is offered.

Reports show that the altercation took place on Saturday, March 1, and a video of the altercation appeared on social media on Friday, March 7, Siasat Daily reported.

The district president, Ankit Tomar, and other right-wing members can be seen in the video asking the restaurant's management from their table in the crowded eating area and asking for an explanation of why saffron napkins are used.

The manager is being aggressively questioned by the Karni Sena members, who enquire, ‘What is this?” to which the manager replies, “These are napkins, sir”. One of the men then asks, “Han toh bagwa rang ka kyu hai, itni baat samaj mai nahi ati. (Yes, then why is it saffron in colour? Why don’t you understand these things?)”

When Tomar claimed that the restaurant was deliberately attacking Hinduism, the incident became more heated as he stated, “People come here and eat non-vegetarian food then use these saffron tissue papers to wipe their hands, which is an affront to Hindu beliefs”.

Tomar then issued a warning to the restaurant manager, stating, “We will come again to check. If we find these saffron napkins here again, I will call the DSP and SP, who will then solve the matter legally.”