New guidelines against denying entry for wearing traditional attire in Karnataka: D K Shivakumar

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has decided to issue guidelines barring malls and other commercial establishments from denying entry to persons wearing traditional attires such as the panche, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar told the Assembly on Monday.

Shivakumar, who is also the Bengaluru City Development minister, said this in a suo motu statement after the GT World Mall denied entry to a panche-clad farmer last week.

“We’ve decided to issue guidelines...be it a mall, a big place or a small place...the panche is a part of our culture,” Shivakumar said. “We don’t want such incidents to occur anywhere in the state,” he added.

Last week, the government ordered closure of the GT World Mall on Magadi Road after it cited ‘rules’ to deny entry to a farmer who was wearing a panche.

“We issued a notice to this mall. There were some (property) tax dues of nearly Rs 2 crore. They've tendered an apology. They've issued a cheque. So, we’ve allowed them,” Shivakumar said.

Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka welcomed the government’s decision. “But a circular will be forgotten in a year’s time. You should stipulate this in licenses,” he said.

JD(S) floor leader CB Suresh Babu asked the government to bring social clubs under the new diktat. “They don’t allow people wearing panches,” he said. But Law Minister H K Patil resisted this. “Let’s not mix clubs and bars with an issue concerning self-respect of farmers,” he said.

Chief Minister’s Economic Adviser Basavaraj Rayareddi was livid at clubs. “The Golf Club, Bangalore Club...what do they think of themselves? See to it that they get a circular. They’re all nalayaks (unfit),” he said.