Saturday, March 02, 2013

Nepalese police crackdown against long hair sparks outrage

Police authorities in Kathmandu are facing flak from residents following a drive targeting youths and a few girls for having long hair and wearing earrings.

On Monday police detained 711 people including three girls as part of a campaign to bring down incidents of theft, looting and other criminal activities. But instead of taking action based on past records of those detained, the main criterion behind the action was the length of their hair and their appearance.



After rounding them up from all corners of the city the police took down names, fingerprints and photos of the detainees before handing them over to their parents and guardians. Some unlucky ones also had their hair cut by the police in presence of their guardians and were warned not sport long hair in future.

“Is it against the law that I want to keep my hair long? Are we being ruled by the Taliban,” said one unidentified youth who was forced to cut his hair short. The police action has sparked an online outrage with many accusing the authorities of trampling on personal liberty of residents and some demanding an apology from Inspector General of Nepal Police, Kuber Singh Rana.

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