Frido Founder and CEO Ganesh Sonawane took to X (formerly Twitter) to share that he and Ather co-founder Swapnil Jain were denied entry inside a restaurant in Bengaluru over dress code. The comment comes after an elderly farmer was not allowed inside a mall after he showed up in a dhoti and a shirt. The farmer’s son recorded the incident on camera and urged the government to take action. The Karnataka government has reportedly decided to seal the GT Mall on Magadi Road over ₹1.78 crore in property tax dues.
Read| Karnataka govt closes down Bengaluru's GT Mall for 7 days after it denied an entry to dhoti-wearing farmer
“True story: Swapnil, Ather co-founder, and I had once gone to a restaurant in Bengaluru and were denied entry because of wearing slippers instead of shoes,” wrote Sonawane on X.
Take a look at the post here:
While Sonawane did not share when or where the incident happened, he admitted feeling “stupid” but clarified that he doesn’t view it as “discrimination”, adding that they went to another restaurant after being denied entry.
The government’s decision to seal the mall comes after the video of the incident went viral on social media. In it, the 70-year-old farmer identified as Fakeerappa was not allowed to enter inside the mall even after holding a valid ticket to watch a film with his son Nagaraj. When questioned, the security person present there said that the mall bars entry to those who wear dhoti.
Also Read| Actress Gauahar Khan condemns Bengaluru mall for denying entry to farmer wearing dhoti
{{/usCountry}}The government’s decision to seal the mall comes after the video of the incident went viral on social media. In it, the 70-year-old farmer identified as Fakeerappa was not allowed to enter inside the mall even after holding a valid ticket to watch a film with his son Nagaraj. When questioned, the security person present there said that the mall bars entry to those who wear dhoti.
Also Read| Actress Gauahar Khan condemns Bengaluru mall for denying entry to farmer wearing dhoti
{{/usCountry}}Speaking in the assembly, Suresh said, “According to the law, the government can shut the mall for seven days. I spoke to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officers, and the mall will be closed for seven days as an action against the incident.”
After Suresh’s announcement, speaker UT Khader welcomed the move and asked the minister to implement it immediately.