Now they will even tell you when to cut your hair?
Mangore/Nagpur: Riots broke out in a rural area of Manglore District in Karnataka, when a barber called Salman refused to down his shutters on Tuesday since the orthodox Hindus of this state think it inauspicious to cut hair on Tuesday.
Bajrang Dal leader Ravi Ballya said that the trouble started when the barber, Salman, refused to “respect local sentiments” and keep his shop shut on Tuesdays. “It is well-known that Hindus don’t cut their hair on Tuesdays. Salman was initially a nice boy. He used to respect our wishes and close his shop then. But in the last few weeks, he stopped doing that because some PFI (Popular Front of India) leaders filled his head with poison,” Ballya said.
Thukrappa Shetty, the local Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader, had a similar story to tell. “Uday Kumar, the leader of the barbers’ association, went to Salman’s shop and politely asked him to shut shop. But Salman and some others abused him instead. It was a clear provocation. What happened next was a spontaneous reaction from local Hindus who had been hurt by their behaviour.”
According to Superintendent of Police Dr SD Sharanappa, a large mob led by Ballya then attacked Salman’s shop as well as other Muslim-owned establishments in the Nelliyadi Jumma Masjid complex. In retaliation, another mob led by the PFI simultaneously indulged in arson and vandalism.
Ballya has not yet been apprehended. Though available on the phone, Ballya was reported absconding by the police.
Kempi Mustafa, the head of the local masjid, said this was not the first time Kumar and Ballya had stoked communal tension in the area. Alleging that both are accused in criminal cases, he said this was just the latest in a string of incidents aimed at disrupting the communal harmony of coastal Karnataka.
Meanwhile, the situation continued to be tense in at least four villages near Nelliyadi – Kokkada, Patrame, Golithottu and Ballya. The police have so far arrested nine men from both communities, and imposed curfew in the area.
We know for a fact that orthodox Kannadigas think it inauspicious for hair to be trimmed on many days of the week and they strongly believe a married Hindu woman should never cut her hair….now will this new ‘law’ be imposed too?
