Agra: A day after a TOI report on how a group of international models were asked to remove saffron-coloured scarves at the Taj Mahal by security personnel, Union culture minister Mahesh Sharma on Friday ordered an inquiry into the matter."You can wear anything, be it yellow, red or green. There are no restrictions with regard to clothing. There are no guidelines from our side. We have set up an inquiry into the matter," said tourism and culture minister Mahesh Sharma while talking to a news agency.The ASI office in Agra is yet to receive the order. Meanwhile, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which guards the monument, and the Archaeological Survey of India were on the back foot on Friday and said tourists wearing such scarves as a part of their attire would not be asked to remove them."There was no intention to hurt anyone’s religious sentiment. We were only implementing rules mentioned in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act (1958) and the AMASR Rules (1959). Sections 7 and 8 of the AMASR Rules talk about customs/practices which are not allowed at the monument. However, these can be interpreted differently, and officials on duty should act judiciously and with care so that no controversy is created,” said ASI superintending archaeologist Bhuvan Vikrama.The ASI officer added that there was no issue with people wearing scarves and other such clothing with religious symbols as long as they are not going to use them for canvassing/promoting something, or violate customs observed at the monument.This came even as the CISF in its report to the ASI denied stopping the models from wearing saffron scarves while entering the Taj Mahal. “Our inquiry revealed that it was the guide who asked them to remove the scarves,” said Brij Bhushan, CISF commandant.Shivendu Dixit, director of the event company that organized the group's visit to the Taj, had told TOI earlier that after the guide directed the models to remove the scarves, security personnel on duty too repeated the instruction.Right-wing organisations Hindu Jagran Manch (HJM) and Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) soon waded into the controversy and said the action by officials at the Taj had hurt the sentiment of Hindus. Members of BJYM then threatened to enter the Taj Mahal wearing saffron attire on Saturday.A group of 34 models from as many countries, who are in India to participate in the Supermodel International Contest being held in Delhi from April 12-22, had visited the Taj Mahal on Wednesday; some of them covering their heads with saffron scarves to protect themselves from the heat. When they were about to enter the monument, CISF personnel reportedly asked them to remove the scarves.

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