Dalits in the village had been facing difficulties in accessing tonsure services for several years during a specific period of the year. Many were reportedly forced to travel to neighbouring villages to get haircuts and shaves, sources said.
NEW DELHI — The Karnataka government has opened a state-run barber shop in Gadag district after members of the Dalit community were allegedly denied hair-cutting and shaving services by local barbers.
The salon, inaugurated on February 26 by the Social Welfare Department, is being described as the first government-run barber shop in the state. The move comes weeks after a barber reportedly refused to cut the hair of a Dalit customer, following which other barbers in the village also shut their shops in solidarity.
According to department sources, Dalits in the village had been facing difficulties in accessing tonsure services for several years during a specific period of the year. Many were reportedly forced to travel to neighbouring villages to get haircuts and shaves.
Local administration officials initially attempted to resolve the issue through discussions with the barbers. However, when the warnings went unheeded, authorities issued a notice to the shop that had allegedly refused service. In response, other barbers downed their shutters, further affecting Dalit residents who were left without access to basic grooming services.
Following representations from members of the Dalit community, district authorities intervened and facilitated the establishment of a dedicated barber shop.
According to media reports, the salon has been set up jointly by the Social Welfare Department, the taluk administration, the taluk panchayat, a federation of Dalit organisations, and members of the Shivasharana Hadapada Appanna community.
Officials said the initiative has been launched under the state’s untouchability eradication awareness and harmonious living programme, aimed at promoting social harmony and ensuring equal access to essential services.
The barber shop was formally inaugurated in the presence of government officials and local residents.
Meanwhile, some barbers reportedly defended their decision not to serve Dalit customers during a particular religious period. Citing local beliefs, they claimed that during Mahanavami, when the deity Veerabhadreshwara Swamy visits homes of the Hadapada community, cutting the hair of Dalits would bring misfortune.
A government official told The Indian Express that the barbers maintained they could not provide services to Dalits during this annual religious observance.
