Hazel Keech faced racial discrimination; says she even offered to recite 'Gayatri Mantra' or 'Hanuman Chalisa'!

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New Delhi: In an untoward incident, Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh's fiancee Hazel Keech, who is also a Bollywood actress, faced racial discrimination in India recently. The event has left her shocked and finally she decided to open up on the same to a leading daily.

According to BollywoodLife.com, Hazel and her mom visited the Jaipur branch of an international money transfer company to collect the money sent by Hazel's aunt. However, she was denied any access as the official told her, “Aapka naam Hindu nahi hai (Your name is not Hindu).”

Despite several attempts to make him understand, the official didn't budge and this left the 'Bodyguard' actress miffed. BollywoodLife.com quotes Hazel's interview given to a leading daily, where she was quoted as saying, “I was very angry . They were trying to be difficult the moment I walked in. Had it been the case of me not carrying the right documents, I wouldn’t mind but they said it was because of my name. I told them that I am an Indian citizen, so how does it matter what my name is! Indian citizens don’t need to show a passport, you just need government documents as ID proof (pan card and driving license) and I had that with me. But they refused to see my IDs. I spoke to three officers and all of them were rude. They kept laughing and sneering.”

She revealed that this is not the first time such an incident has happened with her. She was further quoted as saying, “I don’t want anyone to go through this. I am not dramatic or the kind who makes a fuss about things, but this behaviour is unacceptable. My friend, who is an Indian citizen, born and raised in Pune, has faced a similar situation because her name is Insia Lacewala. Maybe I should change my name to Gayatri or Bhagwati next time. I even asked them if I should recite the Gayatri Mantra or Hanuman Chalisa. My mother is a Hindu and she is a brown Indian lady, who was with me when this happened. They gave me a tough time because I am fair-skinned. You cannot deny me something because of my name or the way I look. India is known for its diversity and such acts should not happen.”