On Sunday morning, members of Shri Rajput Karni Sena protested in front of Salon franchises owned by Hair-stylist Javed Habib, whose act of spiting in the hair of a woman while a demonstration has created a controversy. Large protests erupted on Sunday in Madhya Pradhesh with BJP MLA from Bhopal Rameshwar Sharma giving calls for boycotting Javed’s brand in a public meet.
Protestors from Karni Sena also took out bike rallies near Javed Habib outlets in Vijay Nagar and Tukoganj in Indore. Karni Sena district President Rishiraj Singh Sisodia, while talking to reporters, claimed that Habib had insulted women by his act of spitting. He said he will ensure not to let stores linked to Habib operate in Indore and to make him suffer financially. “The signboards bearing the name of Habib will be pulled down and destroyed. The administration can take whatever action it wants against us”, said Sisodiya.
Kamlesh Sharma, station in-charge at Tukoganj police clarified that no salon was vandalised during the protests. However, it was Amit Dantre who runs a Jawed Habib store in Tukoganj, Indore who openly came out and expressed his displeasure over Habib’s act and has decided to give up his franchise to set up a new establishment. “As the incident sparked row, we have changed the branding of our salon in honour of women. I had taken the franchise of Jawed Habib 6-7 years ago and left the franchise after this incident.” Dantre added.
In another incident, Rameshwar Sharma, the BJP MLA from Bhopal’s Huzur Assembly seat, gave calls for boycotting Javed Habib’s salons. “How are people behaving? They spit in food and even on women’s hairs. Hindus should spit on those who believe in the culture of spitting. No one should go to outlets of those who spit. Instead, you should spit there,” Sharma said while addressing a crowd in Bairagarh.
On January 06, a video had emerged on social media of Javed Habib spitting in the hair of a woman he was styling during a hair-styling workshop. Following the incident, a case was registered against him in Muzaffarnagar by the victim. Following the outrage, another video of Habib spitting on another woman’s hair and gone viral on social media. The National Commission for Women had taken cognizance of the issue and said that the apology issued by Habib did not seem like an apology at all.
