Varanasi Jewellers Refuse Service to Customers Wearing Face Coverings Over Security Concerns
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In a move to ensure their own safety, the local unit of the Uttar Pradesh Jewellers Association in Varanasi has imposed a ban on selling jewellery to customers wearing a burqa, veil, mask, or helmet. The decision comes in response to a string of thefts, robberies, and frauds that have plagued several districts in the region. The association has put up posters outside jewellery shops, warning customers that entry is prohibited while wearing a mask, burqa, helmet, or veil. According to Kamal Singh, the district president of UPJA, the ban is not intended to discriminate against any particular group, but rather to prevent potential security risks. "We want to ensure our own safety," Singh explained. "If a customer comes wearing a hijab, we ask them to uncover their face upon entering the shop so that our jewellers can feel secure." The association claims that this measure is necessary to prevent theft and maintain a safe environment for their customers and employees. However, not everyone agrees with the decision. Shahid, a jeweller from the Lohta area, argued that refusing entry to customers wearing burqas could drive away business and be insulting to Muslim customers. He suggested that a female employee could verify a woman's identity while keeping her face covered. Government advocate Rana Sanjeev Singh defended the association's decision, citing recent incidents where women wearing burqas were caught on CCTV cameras stealing from jewellery shops. "Everyone has the right to their own security," he said. "There's nothing wrong with taking measures to ensure our own safety."
