The Pavitra Rishta actress followed mandatory dress code rules at one of the world's largest mosques — yet hundreds of users targeted her online. Here's what actually happened, and what the outrage reveals.
There is a photograph doing the rounds on Indian social media right now. It shows television actress Ankita Lokhande, dressed in modest attire with a headscarf draped around her face, standing inside what appears to be a grand, luminous white structure. The image is serene. The internet, predictably, is not.
The picture was taken at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi — the third-largest mosque in the world and one of the UAE's most-visited tourist destinations. It sees millions of international visitors every year: Hindu, Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, atheist. Each of them, if female, enters in a hijab. That is not personal expression. That is the entry requirement.
What Actually Happened: A Straightforward Vacation, An Overwrought Response
In late May 2026, Ankita Lokhande and her husband Vicky Jain took a trip to the UAE, spending time in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Among their stops was the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, a landmark that regularly features on every Abu Dhabi travel itinerary. Ankita shared a relaxed, cheerful series of photographs on Instagram from the trip.
The mosque visit photos, in particular, showed her wearing a headscarf as required by the site. Once those images circulated, trolling began across platforms. A section of users questioned why she wore the hijab, accused her of being "selectively secular," and drew unfavourable comparisons with her recently photographed Gau Seva activity at a gaushala.
"Some Hindus are always secular but not a single Muslim is secular!!! Bitter truth… why hijab?" — a viral comment directed at the actress
Supporters, meanwhile, were quick to point out what the critics appeared to have ignored entirely: the headscarf was not a choice — it was a condition of entry to the mosque premises.
The Dress Code Is Non-Negotiable — Here's Exactly What It Says
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi publishes its dress code prominently, both on its official website and on large signboards at the entrance. The rules are unambiguous and apply to all visitors regardless of nationality, religion, or personal belief.
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque — Official Visitor Dress Code
✅ Required for Women
- ✓Headscarf (hijab) covering all hair completely
- ✓Full-length, loose-fitting clothing (wrists to ankles)
- ✓Long sleeves covering arms to wrists
- ✓Non-transparent, non-tight fabric
- ✓Abayas available on-site for visitors without proper attire
❌ Strictly Prohibited
- ✗Shorts or short skirts
- ✗Sleeveless shirts or tops
- ✗Tight-fitting or see-through clothing
- ✗Swimwear or beachwear
- ✗T-shirts with slogans or profanity
The requirement is so strictly enforced that even American pop star Rihanna was reportedly asked to leave during a visit years ago — not because she lacked a headscarf, but because her otherwise-covered outfit was considered too form-fitting. The mosque's management has since installed large visual warning boards at the entrance. Visitors who arrive without appropriate clothing are not turned away — they are offered abayas and scarves on-site. But wearing them is mandatory, not optional.
In other words: every woman who has ever set foot inside this mosque — tourist or pilgrim, Hindu or Christian or atheist — has worn a hijab. The outrage directed at Ankita Lokhande was, at its core, outrage about compliance with clearly stated rules at a heritage site she was visiting as a tourist.
The Social Media Divide: Trolls vs. Defenders
As tends to happen with celebrity news in India, the response was split sharply along ideological lines.
Critics Said
"Now tell Muslim ladies to wear sarees too."
"She is always secular, but where is the reciprocity?"
"Why wear hijab? You are a Marathi girl."
"These secular Hindus will never understand."
Supporters Responded
"It's a dress code requirement. Every visitor wears it. Do basic research."
"She posted photos without the hijab right after leaving the mosque. It was situational."
"She went to a gaushala AND respected mosque etiquette. That's what harmony looks like."
"Would you say the same about any tourist who follows dress codes at religious sites?"
Defenders also pointed out a crucial detail that critics appeared to overlook: Ankita posted multiple photos from the same Abu Dhabi trip without wearing the headscarf — including casual travel clips and street photographs. The hijab appeared only in the mosque visit images, confirming it was a location-specific requirement, not a personal religious gesture.
Ankita Lokhande faces online backlash after sharing Abu Dhabi vacation pics with Vicky Jain, where she was seen wearing a hijab in a few photos 📸
— Bollywood Machine (@BollywoodMachin) May 29, 2026
While some users questioned her outfit choice, many fans defended the actress, saying respecting local culture while travelling… pic.twitter.com/5N1nH7P6qq
This Isn't the First Time — A Pattern of Misplaced Outrage
This episode is not an isolated incident. In 2025, Ankita Lokhande was spotted at Mumbai airport wearing a hijab, and greeted the waiting paparazzi with "Adaab." That clip went viral and triggered a near-identical wave of criticism, again centred on accusations of performative secularism
What makes the current episode particularly layered is the juxtaposition with her Gau Seva visit — which had drawn warm appreciation from many of the same commentators who were now criticising her mosque visit. The implicit argument from trolls appeared to be that public Hindu religious practice should be celebrated, while following rules at Islamic sites warranted suspicion.
A Timeline: Ankita Lokhande and the Recurring Hijab Controversy
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What This Episode Really Reveals
Stripped of the noise, the Ankita Lokhande hijab episode is a fairly simple story about a tourist respecting the rules of a landmark she chose to visit. The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is one of the most visited sites in Abu Dhabi — it attracts visitors of every background, and every one of them follows the same dress protocol. No exceptions are made for nationality, fame, or personal faith.
What the online response reveals is something broader — a tendency to scrutinise public figures (particularly women) through the prism of their religious or cultural identity, often without engaging with the basic facts of a situation. The underlying expectation, made explicit in several comments, seems to be that a Hindu celebrity should not be seen adhering to protocols at an Islamic religious site — regardless of whether those protocols are obligatory, globally standard, and apply to absolutely every visitor.
Ankita has not issued any public statement in response to the trolling, nor should she need to. She visited a world-famous mosque, followed its rules, and shared a travel photo on Instagram. The explanation begins and ends there.
On the Professional Front
Away from the social media storm, Ankita Lokhande remains one of Indian television's most recognisable faces. She rose to national prominence through Ekta Kapoor's long-running serial Pavitra Rishta, which also starred the late Sushant Singh Rajput. She later made successful transitions to Bollywood, with roles in Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi, Baaghi 3, and — in a notable shift — the historical drama Swatantrya Veer Savarkar in 2024, where she played Yamunabai Savarkar opposite Randeep Hooda. She is currently entertaining viewers on Laughter Chefs Season 3.
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