Dalit students denied haircut; police book salon owner

The Kalaburagi district police have registered a case against a salon owner who allegedly refused to give a haircut to Dalit students in Kinni Sultan village at Aland taluk in Kalaburagi district.

On Friday when some students belonging to Dalit community went to a salon for a haircut, the hairdresser allegedly denied them the service, stating that they are continuing the practices passed on to them by their ancestors. But the reports of barbers refusing service to Dalits had surfaced recently.

The caste-based discrimination still persists in Kinni Sultan village. Although there are three salon shops in the village, Dalits there are forced to travel all the way to Aland town-which is 14 km away or to the Tadakal village- which is about 5 km, for a haircut.

The barbers in the village agreed to serve Dalit customers only after police personnel threatened stern action against untouchability.

Based on a complaint lodged by a villager belonging to Dalit community, a case has been registered against the owner of salon shop Premnath Shinde under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Aland taluk Assistant Director of Social Welfare Department Vijaylakshmi Holkar visited the village to gather first-hand information of the incident.