Upscale Delhi restaurant denies entry to street kids

A woman has alleged that an upscale restaurant in Connaught Place denied entry to street children citing they were “wearing dirty clothes and they looked poor”.

The Delhi government on Sunday ordered an inquiry into the matter saying that “if the allegations were found to be true, the licence of the restaurant would be cancelled”.

On Saturday afternoon, Sonali Shetty, a Dehradun resident, went to Shiv Sagar restaurant in CP with about eight underprivileged kids to celebrate her husband’s birthday. To her surprise, the owner refused to serve food to the children and asked her to leave.

“These kids were selling flowers and fans at the Connaught Place and I thought of celebrating my husband’s birthday with them. I usually go to Saravana Bhavan but we chose to go to Shiv Sagar restaurant because the kids wanted to have ‘chole bhature’ which is served there,” Sonali told DH.

“But the kids were not served food because they were wearing dirty clothes and they looked poor. The manager even threatened me....police who came to the spot did not help,” added Sonali, who had come to Delhi on Friday with her husband and nine-year-old son.

10-hour- protest

The woman staged a sit-in outside the restaurant with her husband and son for nearly 10 hours. “We went to the restaurant around 2 pm. After the manager refused to serve these children, I sat outside the restaurant in protest till midnight,” she said and asked, “If poor are not welcomed in the so-called posh restaurants, then why are we paying additional ‘Swachh Bharat Cess and Krishi Kalyan Cess’?”

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Sunday asked district magistrate of New Delhi to probe the matter and submit a report in 24 hours.

Terming it a “colonial mindset”, Sisodia said it “can’t be tolerated”. “If the allegations are found true, we will cancel the restaurant’s licence and action will be taken under appropriate sections,” said Sisodia.

Sonali claimed that she would visit the restaurant on Sunday evening again to seek an apology from the manager and its owner.

“I want the restaurant manger and its owner to apologise to these kids, so I will be visiting the place again this evening,” Sonali said on Sunday afternoon.