The BJP has attacked the Congress-led Karnataka government over the incident.
An FIR has been registered against the owner and security guard of the mall in Bengaluru that barred an elderly farmer from entering the premises on Tuesday evening because he was wearing a dhoti, a traditional Indian attire. The incident has sparked outrage and protests from farmer unions, with demands for action against the mall authorities.
According to eyewitnesses, the farmer, accompanied by his son, was stopped by security guards at the entrance of GT Mall, citing instructions from the management to deny entry to anyone wearing a dhoti. The guards allegedly asked the farmer to change into pants to be allowed entry, leaving him feeling humiliated and embarrassed.
The incident came to light after a video of the altercation went viral on social media, drawing severe criticism from netizens who condemned the mall's actions as "disrespectful" and "discriminatory." Farmer unions swiftly responded, staging protests outside the mall on Wednesday morning, demanding an apology and action against the management.
Farmer leader Kuruburu Shanthakumar warned that if the police failed to take appropriate action, he would mobilse thousands of farmers to protest against the mall authorities. This incident is not an isolated one, as a similar incident occurred earlier this year when a farmer was initially denied entry into a metro train due to his "untidy" clothes.
The BJP attacked the Congress-led Karnataka government over the incident. Sharing the video of the incident on 'X', BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said the farmers are being "abused and insulted" in Karnataka.
"Under Karnataka Congress govt patronage. Farmers are being abused and insulted for wearing Dhoti? Banned entry in a mall!. Karnataka CM wears a dhoti!. Dhoti is our pride.. should farmer wear a tuxedo in a mall? How is Karnataka Congress allowing this? They are most anti farmer! They even increased prices of diesel & betrayed farmers. Now they are insulting farmers by denying entry in Dhoti. Where is Rahul Baba ? Is this Kisan ke saath Nyay?" Mr Poonawalla said in a post on X.
Karnataka Congress MLA NA Haris, reacted to the incident, calling the Bengaluru incident "unacceptable" and said he would urge the state government to take action. "This is unacceptable...Dhoti is our traditional dress...We will tell the government to take action," Mr Haris told news agency ANI.