Amid reports of a dhoti-clad man allegedly denied entry into a mall in Kolkata, the Congress Party on Sunday while condemning the same said Bengal and Dhoti are synonymous to each other.
"Bengal is synonymous to dhoti; it is the identity of the people. It has been the traditional outfit of the people since colonial times. However, there are several problems that have cropped up now, most recently in Kolkata. It is indeed shocking that such reports have come up. The government needs to take action," Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Choudhary told ANI.
Urging strict action against the wrongdoers, Congress leader Tom Vadakkan said such incidents are unacceptable in a pluralistic society like India.
"India is a land of many cultures and outfits. If this fact cannot be accepted, those in denial need to be ostracised. The government needs to take action against those violating the norms set by the Constitution," he said.
In a startling case of discrimination, a dhoti-clad man was allegedly stopped from entering Kolkata's Quest Mall on Saturday.
The man's friend later took to Facebook and described the whole incident as a form of "racial discrimination" by the mall authorities, citing that the man was allowed inside the mall only when he started arguing in English.
"Yet another incident. After a series of restaurants, it's now a mall refusing entry to someone. A man wearing a dhoti and kurta was not allowed to enter Quest Mall in Kolkata today. Apparently wearing dhoti or lungi isn't allowed in this particular mall anymore," the Facebook post said.
The friend, Debleena Sen, a Kolkata-based actor, further said that "this form of racial profiling has induced in our society so much that it's disgusting".
"The guards outside stopped him and confirmed with someone over the Walky-talky and then let him enter only because the man in question argued in ENGLISH," she said.
"When inside we approached the management team there and the man clearly stated that they DO NOT ALLOW people wearing dhoti and lungi to enter. Furthermore when the manager of the place (some woman) came in and sat down to talk asked me strictly that I cannot video record anything even though I clearly have the right to record anything in a public space. That's when we decided it's best to leave the place to rot."
"I feel sorry for the state of our nation today and I'm sorry I WILL NOT KEEP QUIET ANYMORE AND WILL QUESTION THE AUTHORITY!!!" she concluded.
Last month, in a similar incident, an elderly woman from Meghalaya, Tailin Lyngdoh, was allegedly asked to leave the Delhi Golf Club, as she was wearing a traditional Khasi dress, which the authorities felt, made her look like a maid.
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