The Delhi Police on Wednesday filed a case against a hotelier after a Kashmiri man was allegedly discriminated against and denied accommodation despite advance booking and valid ID proof.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (northwest) Usha Rangnani said a complaint was received at Mahendra Park Police Station stating that some people from Jammu and Kashmir were denied accommodation in a hotel in the area.
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A case under section 153-B(1)b (any member of a religious, racial, language or regional group or caste or community denied of rights) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered and investigation is in progress, the DCP said.
The Delhi Police also clarified that it has not issued any direction against giving reservation in hotels to those furnishing identity cards from Jammu and Kashmir.
The statement comes after a purported viral video on social media shows a man allegedly being denied reservation in hotel as he is from the union territory.
Syed, a resident of Srinagar, who works in a multi-national company as an auditor told Kashmir Observer that he booked the room through OYO rooms on 22 March at around 8am and when he reached the hotel namely The Pleasant Inn, he was denied the room after the receptionist saw his Aadhar card.
His video showing the receptionist denying entry into the hotel has gone viral on social media.
Syed, who wished not to reveal his full name due to fear of reprisal, told Kashmir Observer that he was hurt after being denied accommodation despite advance booking on online hotel booking website OYO.
“When I reached there, the lady receptionist asked me for myAadhar card to complete the booking formalities, which I did,” he said.
He further added that the receptionist then rang one of the officials of the hotel and asked that a customer from J&K has come for the accommodation.
“I think he must have told her to deny the room because as soon as he dropped the call, the receptionist told me that we can’t provide a room to a Kashmiri as the Delhi Police has instructed us to do so,” he said.
Syed, in the video can be seen demanding an answer from the receptionist for the denial of room.
He said, “I am giving you my identity card. Here is my Aadhaar Card. Why are you denying it?” When the female employee said she had orders not to give room to anyone with an ID from Kashmir, he said, “I can give you my passport as well.” As Kashmir’s address was mentioned on the passport, it was denied as well.
The video, which was shot by the Kashmiri man himself, was shared by many on social media.
The man said that he has been living in different states of the country for the last 12 years and has never faced such humiliation.
Earlier, in a series of tweets, the Delhi Police stated, “A purported video is viral on social media wherein a person is being denied hotel reservation due to his J&K ID. The reason for cancellation is being given as direction from police. It is clarified that no such direction has been given by Delhi Police.
“Aggrieved person in the video while posting the same on YouTube has stated that he stayed in the same area in another hotel and it was a lame excuse given by the hotel.” “Some netizens are trying to discredit the image of the Delhi Police through willful misrepresentation of the video in circulation which can attract penal action,” it further mentioned.
The video assumes significance in the wake of a controversy over Bollywood movie ‘The Kashmir Files’, which depicts the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley. (With inputs from PTI)
