Ramayan Express staff saffron uniform changed after protest

Ujjain: Bowing to protest by seers in Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, the IRCTC on Monday evening said it will change the saffron attire of waiters on board the Ramayan Express, which had invited the ire of a section of sadhus. The seers, earlier on Monday, had taken strong objection to the saffron attire of waiters on board the IRCTC-operated Ramayan Express and dubbed it as an "insult" to Hindu religion.

They had threatened to stop the train in Delhi on December 12 if the dress code was not withdrawn. "We have written a letter two days back to the Union Railway Minister lodging our protest against waiters in saffron serving refreshments and food in the Ramayan Express.

"Donning saffron attire with sadhu-like headgear and wearing 'malas' (necklaces) of 'rudraksha' (sacred seeds) is an insult to Hindu religion and its seers," Ujjain Akhada Parishad's former general secretary Avdeshpuri told PTI.

He said seers will stop the train at Delhi's Safdarjung railway station if the saffron dress code of the waiters was not changed, adding it was necessary for protecting the Hindu religion. The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), in a retweet to a media outlet which ran this agency report, said, "It is to inform that the dress of service staff is completely changed in the look of professional attire of service staff."