In a bizarre incident reported from Karnataka, out of fear of upper caste people, saloons in village Koliwad near Hubli have been shut for more than a month not allowing the Dalits to have a haircut.
The closure of haircutting shops by people of Savita Samaj (barber community) not allowing Dalits to get their hair cut is an evident fact of discrimination of Dalits that is still prevalent in this part of the country. The haircutting shops have been closed out of fear of backlash by the other community people.
Even today over 100 Dalit families living in this village fear caste discrimination and are seeking help from the Government. In fact, a team of revenue officials have, on Saturday, visited the village and took a stock of the situation. The Dalits who live in Ambedkar Colony in the village are scared that this incident might turn into a major controversy where upper caste people might force them to leave the village. A Dalit youth on the condition of anonymity told that he was threatened when he went to have his regular haircut. He said that he was forced out of the shop on behest of some influential people who belonged to upper caste.
He said, “We live in Ambedkar Colony and all the haircutting shops have been closed forcibly by some influential people who belong to upper caste. They are not allowing us to have haircut in the shop and we are forced to leave the shops. We have appealed to the Government and some officials have taken a stock of the situation. We want to live amicably in the village.”
According to sources in the district administration, The problem started when some dalit youths went to have a haircut a few weeks ago. this was objected to by some of the villagers belonging to upper caste and the owners were forced to close the shops.
According to Hubli Tahsildar HD Nagavi, the Savita community members in the village had not given haircut to anyone in the village since a month and efforts are on to help them resume work. A reconciliation meeting on the issue will be held soon.
The Dalits feel only upper caste people were given haircut in the village saloons and when a few Dalits sought the service, the shops were closed. The hair cutting shop owners feel they have closed the shops as a preventive measure to avert any clash between two communities in the village. Meanwhile, many Dalit organisations have urged the administration to get justice to Dalits in the village.