A renowned gravitational wave astrophysicist, who was part of the LIGO team that met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the latter’s US tour in 2016, was allegedly denied entry to a Hindu temple in the US due to his last name.

Dr Karan Jani, who is a member of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory and was named in Forbes ‘30 under 30’ list, was denied entry to Shakti Mandir in Atlanta on 13 October where he went to play garba with his friends.

In a series of posts on Twitter, Dr Jani narrated his ordeal and the alleged reasons given by the management at the temple.

“Year 2018 & Shakti Mandir in Atlanta, USA denied me and my friends entry from playing garba because: ‘You don’t look Hindu and last name in your IDs don’t sound Hindu’,” Dr Jani wrote while posting a video showing a man asking him and his friends to step out of the queue.

“My Konkani friend who came to Garba for 1st time *due to enthusiasm of us Gujaratis* was pulled out of line & was told: ‘We don’t come to your events, you are not allowed to ours’,” read another tweet posted by the astrophysicist.

He said that even when his friend said that her last name is Murdeshwar and she is a Kannada-Marathi, the man at the entry point said that she is an Ismaili.

“My other friends last name had ‘Dangarwala’. We spoke in Gujarati to them. They still said we were “Vohra, Sindhis”. They actually kept stating other religions!! They ganged up and told us to leave,” Dr Jani said while adding, with approval, that other non-Indians were allowed to enter.

Lamenting that he was not allowed to play garba at a temple which he had been visiting for six years, Dr Jani said that the ID cards he and his friends carried had the Indian Emblem on them and yet they were refused entry.

“Our IDs had Indian Emblem. Yes emblem with “Satyamev Jayate” right? Apparently, it didn’t have our religion. Our caste. It was embarrassing. I had tears in my eyes saying them: ‘I come here to play Garba for last 6 years. How could you not let us in because of last name’,” read another tweet.

Year 2018 & Shakti Mandir in Atlanta, USA denied me and my friends entry from playing garba because:

“You don’t look Hindu and last name in your IDs don’t sound Hindu”

-THREAD- pic.twitter.com/lLVq4KhJtw

— Dr. Karan Jani (@AstroKPJ) October 13, 2018

My Konkani friend who came to Garba for 1st time *due to enthusiasm of us Gujaratis* was pulled out of line & was told:

“We don’t come to your events, you are not allowed to ours”

She: “My last name is Murdeshwar. I’m Kannada-Marathi!”

Him: “What is Kannada? You are Ismaili”

— Dr. Karan Jani (@AstroKPJ) October 13, 2018

My other friends last name had “Dangarwala”. We spoke in Gujarati to them.

They still said we were “Vohra, Sindhis”. They actually kept stating other religions!!

They ganged up and told us to leave.

While we saw other non-Indians being entered (which they of course should!)

— Dr. Karan Jani (@AstroKPJ) October 13, 2018

Our IDs had Indian Emblem. Yes emblem with “Satyamev Jayate” right?

Apparently, it didn’t have our religion. Our caste.

It was embarrassing. I had tears in my eyes saying them:

“I come here to play Garba for last 6 years. How could you not let us in because of last name”

— Dr. Karan Jani (@AstroKPJ) October 13, 2018

I was told by that organizer, a senior person, things in Gujarati which are so crude & demeaning that it can’t be shared on public forum. Just to ensure we don’t dare to enter the temple again.

Such fuss just for Garba in Navratri – With friends – to celebrate Indian culture😔

— Dr. Karan Jani (@AstroKPJ) October 13, 2018

He alleged that one of the organisers spoke in a crude and demeaning manner.
Dr Jani’s harrowing experience enraged many who expressed their outrage on social media.

I’m deeply pained by your experience. I really hope you take this incident to its logical conclusion. I have never heard of something so abominable being done at any Navratri venue ever

— Zalak Bhavsar (@andzalak) October 13, 2018

That is really absurd.
We are in 2018 and this is happening.
To be a hindu -‘You should look like hindu and name should sound like hindu’ REALLY??.
Has someone describe how a hindu looks like??Really disturbing.

— Aayushman Raina (@sir_aayushman) October 13, 2018

Unfortunate and unbelievable. Exactly the reason i don’t support Hindutva. U hav no idea where it will lead us.Those who r the supporters will realise only on the day it will start affecting them.U must report to the temple N every authority in the US against the discrimination.

— Shweta Brahmbhatt (@ShwetBrahm) October 13, 2018

I think at Private Events, the organizers should have the rights to admission…
Though I personally know many Gujjus (in India) who have very poor knowledge of India’s diversity, can’t expect much from NRI Gujjus.

— शेख झंडूमल थॉमस (@xandoomal) October 14, 2018

The Prime Minister had on 31 March 2016 met a team of scientists from the LIGO in Washington DC.

Among the scientists, led by the Director of the National Science Foundation Dr. France Cordova, were three young Indian scientists. Dr Jani was one of the three.