Inspector ‘forces’ boy to have change of hairstyle in Krishnagiri

He allegedly threatened him with arrest and remand

A police Inspector allegedly forced a 15-year-old boy to a salon for sporting a rapper haircut, and got him to change his hairstyle after threatening him with arrest and remand.

In a video clip of the incident, the Inspector of Maharajakadai police station, Ganesh Kumar, in civil clothes, is seen intercepting the boy near Poosaripatty in Maharajakadai. The Inspector tells the boy that he is the area inspector and queries about the haircut. He holds him by his arm and takes him across the road to a hair-stylist.

When

The Hindu asked the Inspector if the hairstyle violated any law, he said “His hairstyle and appearance, and body language was not good”. Asked why the boy’s parents were not called, the official said the parents were also called.

District Child Protection Officer Saravanan said “The boy and the parents will be called to the office tomorrow, and they will be counselled on what was the right kind of hairstyle.”

But, when pointed out that hairstyle was a personal choice, and that was not the mandate of the District Child Protection Office, he said, “Our staff are inquiring into the incident, we will see what happened and then send a report to Commissioner of Social Defence”.

In the meantime, V. Ramraj, Member, Tamil Nadu Commission for the Protection for Child Rights, has sought a report from the District Child Protection Office.