Karnataka govt facilitates salon for Dalits after barbers deny them haircut service
Gadag (Karnataka) (PTI): The Karnataka government has facilitated the opening of a salon at Shingatalur village in Gadag district after Dalits were allegedly denied hair-cutting services by upper-caste residents, sources in the Social Welfare Department said on Thursday.
According to department sources, Dalits in the village had been facing denial of tonsure services for several years during a particular time of the year, forcing them to travel to neighbouring villages for haircuts.
Following representations from Dalit residents, the authorities intervened to address the issue.
ALSO READ: DGGI busts Rs 593 crore fake invoice fraud; mastermind arrested in Bengaluru
The barber shop has been set up jointly by the Social Welfare Department, the Taluk administration, the Taluk panchayat, a body of Dalit organisations and the Shivasharana Hadapada Appanna community.
Basavaraj Hadapada from neighbouring Tippapur village has been allotted the shop to provide barber services in Shingatalur, the sources said.
“The initiative has been taken under the untouchability eradication awareness and harmonious living programme to promote social harmony and ensure equal access to basic services,” sources in the department said.
A belief reportedly prevailed in the village that Veerabhadreshwara Swamy visits the houses of the Hadapada community members during Mahanavami every year, and that cutting the hair of Dalits at that time would bring misfortune.
“Citing this superstition, some individuals stopped offering services to Dalits,” sources said.
Following petitions submitted by the affected residents, officials stepped in and ensured that a permanent solution was put in place.
The barber shop was formally opened in the presence of officials and villagers, sources in the Social Welfare Department said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Tumkur: 24-year-old rider killed in car-bike head-on collision in Tiptur
Tiptur: A 24-year-old rider was killed on the spot in a head-on collision between his motorbike and a car near Bidiregudi of Kasaba hobli in the taluk.
The deceased rider, Vijay Kumar, was a resident of BL Koppalu Basaveshwara Nagara in Kasaba hobli, Arsikere taluk.
He was reportedly returning home after work at a welding factory near TM Manjunath Nagar Gate, Tiptur, when a car coming from the opposite direction collided with his bike near Bidiregudi. Vijay Kumar is said to have died at the spot due to the impact of the collision.
Locals have blamed the lack of signboards and other precautionary measures amid the construction of a four-lane national highway in the area, mainly between Bidiregudi and Konehalli. They have said that the carelessness of the National Highway Authorities of India (NHAI) has led to frequent accidents in the region.
“A meeting of officers from various government departments, including the police, was held recently under the chairmanship of the local legislator, but several NHAI officials were reportedly absent. Despite the meeting, officials appear careless in implementing safety measures, leading to a rise in accidents,” the locals said, demanding immediate action from the concerned authorities.
