A joint team of officials conducted an inquiry at Pudupatti village in Karambakudi taluk in the district on Saturday in the wake of allegations that barbers of the village were refusing to give haircuts to the Scheduled Caste community.
The team consisted of the Revenue Divisional Officer, Pudukottai, District Adi Dravidar Welfare Officer and officials from revenue and police departments.
Official sources said there were about 150 families belonging to the SC community in the village, which had three barber shops. The allegation was that the discriminatory practice of not giving haircuts to members of the Scheduled Castes at the saloon shops was on for several years.
The team of officials conducted an enquiry for over two hours with SC families regarding the issue in order to ascertain their version, said a senior official.
The Revenue Divisional Officer, Pudukottai, had conducted an enquiry with the barbers on Thursday. The barbers claimed that they did not show any discrimination against anyone in the village in giving haircuts, the sources said.
The team members spoke to the aged and youth belonging to the SC community. They asked them to go to the barber shops on Monday in their presence. However, the villagers did not, apparently conveying that it should not be a one-day affair.
The sources said a report would be submitted to the Collector following the inquiry, whcih came in the wake of a public interest litigation plea filed in the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court recently saying barbers were refusing to give haircut to the SC community at Pudupatti.
The court had sought a response from the State on the petition filed by R. Selvan, Pudukottai district member of Periyar Ambedkar Makkal Kalagam.
