• 29 Oct 2015
• Hindustan Times (Mumbai)
• Sudipto Mondal letters@hindustantimes.com
BANGALORE: A riot broke out in the village of Nelliyadi, 70km from Mangalore, on Tuesday after a Muslim barber refused to shut shop as per Hindu customs. The violence injured dozens of people and destroyed property worth lakhs.
Bajrang Dal leader Ravi Ballya, speaking to HT, said that trouble started when Salman, the barber, refused to “respect local sentiments” and shut his shop on Tuesdays. “It is known that Hindus don’t cut their hair on Tuesdays. Salman was initially a nice boy. He used to respect our wishes and close his shop on Tuesdays. In the last few weeks he stopped doing that because some PFI (Popular Front of India) leaders filled poison in his head,” Ballya said.
Local VHP leader Thukrappa Shetty said, “Uday Kumar, the leader of the barbers’ association, went to the shop and asked him to close. Salman and others threatened him. It was clear provocation. What happened next was a spontaneous reaction from local Hindus who had been hurt by their behaviour.”