Bengaluru: A caste conflict at a village called Kolagallu in Ballari taluk has resulted in eight barber shops literally shutting down for the last one week, as the people in rift try to drag these barbers into their rift.
The issue started in a small way as a local dispute between Kuruba, Valmiki and Madiga community people in the village, but affected the cohesion of the village, disrupting daily lives and pushing small livelihoods into the brink.
The residents are now unwilling to engage with each other. The barbers, who traditionally served people from all communities, are caught in the crossfire. Consequently,the eight barber shops of the village have decided to shut their shops till the issue is resolved.
Slowly, even the hotels in the village have started downing their shutters and the conflict is likely to have an impact on the annual `Erritata Mutt' chariot festival also. The village is known for being caste sensitive and no one is taking chances.
Fearing the long term repercussions, no one wants to go on record. However, the barbers say that they had to shut their shops, fearing the backlash from one or other group. ``We are caught in the crossfire. If we attend to customers from one community, we attract the wrath of members from other communities. We have to live in the same village with the same people. We have decided not to open shops till the normalcy returns,'' they said.
With their regular income stalled, the barbers are not working as agriculture laborers with landlords to eke out a living. ``We never saw people through the lens of caste, yet we are the ones bearing the brunt of a conflict that is not ours,'' they said.
Worst is the annual festival of `Errimutt', where chariot pulling is the main attraction. While one community wants the festival to be celebrated in a grand manner, another community is hell bent on stopping it.The police say that the entire episode was a fallout of an altercation in a local bar.
Meanwhile, Ballari DC Nagendra Prasad has convened a peace meeting with representatives of all the three castes. He has expressed confidence of resolving the issue in a day or two.
