India President Barred From Entering Temple
Associated Press
NEW DELHI — Indian President Ramaswami Venkataraman was blocked from entering the inner chamber of a Hindu temple because he and his guards were wearing shirts, it was reported Friday.
The president and his bodyguards were visiting the Nataraja Temple in southern Tamil Nadu state on Thursday when the incident occurred, the Calcutta-based newspaper said.
It said that although Venkataraman was willing to remove his shirt, as is customary at the shrine, he felt it would be “unbecoming†for his guards to do so.
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