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Actress Gauahar Khan condemns Bengaluru mall for denying entry to farmer wearing dhoti

Actress and model Gauahar Khan condemned the recent incident wherein a farmer was turned away from a Bengaluru mall because of his attire, calling it “shameful”

Updated on: Jul 18, 2024, 14:42:01 IST
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The recent incident wherein a 70-year-old farmer was turned away from a Bengaluru mall on Tuesday evening because of his “traditional” attire has sparked outrage among the public. Among those condemning the incident is actress and model Gauahar Khan, who took to Instagram to make her stance clear.

The farmer was allegedly denied entry to a mall in Bengaluru for wearing a traditional dhoti and white shirt.
The farmer was allegedly denied entry to a mall in Bengaluru for wearing a traditional dhoti and white shirt.

The farmer, identified as Fakeerappa, was allegedly denied entry to the GT Mall on Magadi Main Road in Bengaluru on Wednesday for wearing a traditional dhoti and white shirt. He had gone to the mall with the simple aim of watching a movie along with his son.

READ | 70-year-old farmer denied entry to Bengaluru mall over traditional attire: Report

Later, a video on the incident made rounds on social media. Reacting to the same, Gauahar Khan lashed out at the Bengaluru mall, calling the incident “shameful”. Khan shared the video on her Instagram story on Wednesday, writing a message that said, “This is absolutely shameful. Strict action must be taken against the mall. This is India and we all must be proud of our culture.”

See the post here:

Gauahar Khan condemned the incident wherein a farmer was denied entry to a Bengaluru mall because of his attire. (Instagram)
Gauahar Khan condemned the incident wherein a farmer was denied entry to a Bengaluru mall because of his attire. (Instagram)

The incident has also drawn criticism from several other quarters, including local farmer unions and politicians. Farmer unions slammed the incident on Wednesday and threatened a protest while demanding the mall management to issue a formal apology.

Following up on their warning, a group of farmers, along with a pro-Kannada organization, protested in front of the city mall soon after.

"A farmer had arrived here, wearing a 'dhoti', but the security guard didn't let him inside. So, we are protesting here," a protester told news agency ANI.

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The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also attacked the Congress-led government in Karnataka, with BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla taking to social media site ‘X’ to say, “Under Karnataka Congress govt patronage. Farmers are being abused and insulted for wearing Dhoti? Banned entry in a mall!. Karnataka CM wears a dhoti!. Dhoti is our pride.. should farmer wear a tuxedo in a mall? How is Karnataka Congress allowing this?"

"They are most anti farmer! They even increased prices of diesel & betrayed farmers. Now they are insulting farmers by denying entry in Dhoti. Where is Rahul Baba ? Is this Kisan ke saath Nyay?” he added.

(With ANI inputs)

  • Yamini C S
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Yamini C S

    Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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