Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav said he had taken children to the mall to unwind. (File)
A prominent south Delhi mall on Wednesday "refused" entry to a group of children from Maharashtra, many of whose parents have committed suicide due to farm distress, Yogendra Yadav said. The Swaraj Abhiyan leader further said that a manager with DLF Place, Saket told them that the children would require "special permission" to enter its premises.
The mall authorities, however, rejected the charge. When contacted, an executive of the mall said there was some "miscommunication" when the children reached the mall around 4 pm, which was "resolved and they were even taken around the mall and provided refreshments".
The kids were wearing kurta pyjamas and Nehru caps.
At around 4 pm, the guard disallowed the children and called the junior manager. The junior manager, in turn, refused entry to them, saying such kids need special permission to enter the mall," Yadav told PTI.
The children, numbering around 40, stay at an ashram in Maharashtra's Nashik district, which houses children whose parents have committed suicide owing to farm crisis. They are in Delhi to participate in a farmers' protest.
Mr Yadav, a part of the protest, said his organization wanted these children to unwind at a mall, which they may not have seen until now.
"Our volunteer protested and created a scene. She also threatened to call the media. It was only after that the senior manager thought this would snowball into a controversy and allowed entry to them," he said.