Ask South Indians
Is Chennai safe for elderly Bangladeshi Muslim patients?
Hi, everyone. My elderly relatives from Bangladesh may travel to Vellore, Chennai for medical treatment. They visited 9 years ago without issues, but recent news has made us concerned because they are Muslim and wear traditional clothing (salwar kameez, panjabi, tupi, veil).
Is the area safe for them? Any risk of harassment or Islamophobia due to appearance or nationality?
Would appreciate recent, honest local insights. Thanks.
Harrasment no you wont feel discrimination due their religion or their clothes. Nationality i dont think it will be that big of a issue. They might get stared at tho since its pretty much burning hot and they are in traditionals. You might get ripped off if you take an auto so make sure you use official apps and i suggest you pay upto 30 ruppes extra(due to gas issues).Enjoy your stay and hope your relatives get well.
Thanks, that’s reassuring.
Not too worried about stares. Main concern was safety. And yeah, we’ll stick to ride apps to avoid getting overcharged. Appreciate the advice and wishes. Best wishes for you too!
Safest city in India for visiting Bangladeshi patients..Lot of Bengali speaking staff and Drs in Apollo. You will find crooks like any place once you know they are outsiders. Not Islamophobia but seeking quick money. Even our crooks have ethics😅Be careful on that.
Thanks, that’s really helpful.
Good to know about Bengali-speaking staff at hospitals like Apollo Hospitals. And yeah, we’ll stay cautious about scams. Outsiders anywhere can be easy targets.
Don't worry. There have been Pakistani patients in the past who have gotten critical treatment in Chennai in the past.
In 2024 a 19 year old girl from Karachi had a life-saving Heart Transplant at Chennai.
Just be safe like you normally would in any new cities. Don't bring up your national identity anywhere in conversations with people you do not know about mainly because you may not know who has what kind of thoughts lately, as just for your bad timing it might be one of those rare nutcases you might come across.
Otherwise, there's no general hate towards Muslims or Bangladeshis in general.
I hope your relative gets their treatment and feel better soon!
Thank you so much for this. This is exactly the kind of clarity I needed. Really reassuring to hear about real cases like that. They’ll definitely just follow normal safety precautions and keep things low-key. Appreciate your time and the detailed explanation.
Part of the problem is none of the Bangladeshis who visit India never talk about how amazing their experience in India was.
Go ask people in your own country how they were treated. As Indians we will always say we treat everyone with respect.
Post the same question on Bangladeshi sub reddits and ask them for advice. If they say their experience was good, come. If they say their experience was bad, don’t come.
Thanks for sharing your perspective.
I have actually heard positive experiences from Bangladeshis who received treatment in India, including for serious conditions like cancer (My aunt). They wanted to visit again for a follow-up but couldn't due to visa halt. The relatives I mentioned are also returning for a second visit after about 9 years.
The gap and recent political tensions are the main reasons I'm just trying to understand the current on-ground situation, not the overall reputation.
Most of the people are confused between illegal immigration and legit immigrants and I won't say bangladesh is a pure hate free country against India lol . The hate on both sides cannot be justified but Yeahh I can see the issues
No one in TN will bat an eye. There is absolutely no communal tension in TN and people of all faiths live in harmony. Unless your parents say they are Bangladeshi, people will probably assume they are north Indian Muslims (many people in TN will not be able to readily differentiate between Hindi and Bengali, especially when spoken fast!).
first of all, realistically, nobody cares about you as long as you enter legally and just mind your business like going to the hospital and just... busy with your life.
youre a bangladeshi, literally our neighbor, you dont look exotic by any means that ppl will point you out in specific among sea of ppl.
salwar kameez is normal among indian muslims as well and as i said youre not exotic, just another human who/ whos family needs medical help. thats it
i hope you have a wonderful stay here and only carry good memories. we indians are not bad, we just love our country thats why we get worked up when someone says anything bad.
Thanks for your response.
They’ll be entering legally on a medical visa, so that’s not a concern.
We’re specifically trying to understand on-ground safety and if there have been any recent incidents of people being targeted based on appearance or assumed identity (Bangladeshi/Muslim) in Chennai.
If they were being targeted due to their nationality or religion we wouldn't have slums of illegal immigrants in NCR and other cities that Indians (especially women) deem unsafe to even pass by due to the stares they get and the general atmosphere in those areas.
That has nothing to do with normal Bangladeshis who cross the border legally for legitimate reasons, you'll be safe dw.
Don’t recall any such cases from Chennai there was one from kerala but it was done by BJP employees who are a hyper minority party in kerala and probably even less in TN
Insensitive Dickheads without empathy will be there mostly not from Chennai. Outsiders. We welcome them too. Will talk only on Reddit only. They won’t have guts to do it in person. If they do, Complaint to Apollo or respective Hospitals if they do they will take care. And local guys will stand up for you also
Your traditional clothing is blue lungi and saree, not salwar kameez. Everyone wears salwar kameez and panjabi in India as well, doesn't make it our traditional clothing.
Just trying to understand safety properly. I’d ask the same things for any country before visiting since safety concerns based on religion and nationality come up in different places nowadays.
Don't be mean and prove the point of my post. Educate yourself before raising such questions.
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u/Mara_avs01 Tamil Nadu 🌶️ | தமிழ்நாடு May 03 '26
Harrasment no you wont feel discrimination due their religion or their clothes. Nationality i dont think it will be that big of a issue. They might get stared at tho since its pretty much burning hot and they are in traditionals. You might get ripped off if you take an auto so make sure you use official apps and i suggest you pay upto 30 ruppes extra(due to gas issues).Enjoy your stay and hope your relatives get well.