Fimmaker Ashish Avikunthak claimed on Saturday that he was denied entry inside Quest Mall located in the Ballygunj area of south Kolkata for wearing a dhoti. However, the mall authorities have denied the allegations.
Avikunthak wrote about the incident in a post on Facebook triggering outrage on social media with the public slamming the mall authorities for having denied entry to the filmmaker, who visited the mall with his friend and actor Debaleena Sen.
Avikunthak claimed that he was allowed to enter only after he argued with the authorities at the mall in English.
"Denying entry into the neo-colonial clubs of Kolkata is nothing new. But today I was denied entry into the mall because I was wearing dhoti (which I have been wearing for the last 26 years). On resisting and questioning, I was told that they have orders because of security reasons to prohibit entry of people in lungi and dhoti. I was eventually allowed in because I could argue in English and assert myself," Avikunthak wrote on Facebook.
He added: "This is unambiguously a new low for this city.... Now public spaces are also threatened and a culture of segregation based on class is being practised unhindered."
However, the officials at Quest Mall denied the allegations and said that they had asked Avikunthak to wait as they went to get their supervisor's opinion after which he was allowed to enter the mall. "The total waiting period for the person was 20 seconds. We have video footage," an official was quoted by the Indian Express as saying citing ENS/PTI.
Sen, who accompanied the filmmaker to the mall, told PTI, "We were about to enter when Ashish was stopped by security guards who said he can't be allowed inside since he was wearing a dhoti. As we argued and Ashish spoke in English, mall officials came and allowed him in. Probably after hearing him speak in English, they were assured that he belonged to higher social profile. We immediately came out in protest."
Sen claimed that the mall employees also asked her not to record the incident on her phone. "This shows they want to hide racist attitude," she claimed.
