Traditionally dressed is not well dressed? This mall doesn’t think so

Quest Mall Kolkata refused entry to a man citing his dressing sense as a reason. More specifically, they denied him the entry in the mall because he donned a Dhoti. As he was entering the mall on Saturday, he was stopped by the guards outside.

His friend Debleena Sen, who happened to be with him at the time, explains; “They only let him because the man argued in English”. Her scathing Facebook post emphasises “This form of racial profiling has induced in our society so much that it’s disgusting, and that wearing dhoti or lungi isn’t allowed in this particular mall anymore.”

Debleena Sen, a Kolkata based actor then approached the management team who further confirmed the fact that the mall staff did not, indeed “Allow people wearing Dhoti and lungi to enter”. Further, she adds, “When the manager of the place (some woman) came in and sat down to talk asked me strictly that I cannot video record anything even though I clearly have the right to record anything in a public space.” This video displays the meeting and how the management treated the both of them.

This is the latest in a line of incidents with restaurants have refused entry to ‘Desis’ and the Delhi Golf Club refusing entry to traditionally dressed North-eastern woman last month. Is it fair for malls to have a dress code, and follow it so strictly as to not allow respectably dressed people in traditional clothing into their areas? As Ms. Sen declared in her post, “I will not keep quiet anymore and will question the authority!”

By: Tarun Rao