The Bengaluru Street Vendors association (The Bengaluru Jilla Beedhi Vyapari Sanghatanegala Okkuta) has come together to take a stand against harassment of street vendors, after a video of such an act went viral on social media and on WhatsApp.
In the video, a man is heard alleging that he saw a grape vendor spit (though the alleged act in itself is not on the video) and asks him to apologise. The visibly uneasy street vendor, wearing a skull cap, tries to diffuse the situation by joining his palms together and pleads with the video maker that he spat on the road and not on the grapes. However, the maker of the video refuses to listen to the pleadings and continues to harass the vendor. The man keeps insisting that the vendor takes off the mask so that his face can be recorded.
The video was purportedly shot in Bengaluru’s JP Nagar and has upset the Street Vendors Association. In a statement, the association says, “It is clear from the tone, tenor and language of the man's voice overheard in the video that it has been made with an intention to incite communal hatred against street vendors. Apart from this, there are also insinuations being made based on the religion which is highly condemnable. The intentions and spread of misinformation is apparent in the fact that the Twitter handle mentioned above has deleted the alleged tweet.”
A police complaint has been filed against Kannada TV channel TV5 and a Twitter handle called Karnataka Sanghi for allegedly making communal remarks and insisting that the vendor spat on the grapes, when the video does not offer proof of the same.
"He spread his spit on the grapes and then he was selling it. What was the man's intention? We don't know if the police have this information. Lots of such things are happening. While corona is happening, in the same way, the same thing is happening in other places,” an anchor on the channel could be heard saying.
A statement put out by the street vendors association goes on to “condemn the manner in which the dignity of not just this street vendor, but of the entire community is diminished by such a video.”
“Street vendors are often called "unhygienic" and "dirty". They are constantly facing threats of eviction for allegedly causing traffic jams, accidents, blocking pavements and thus restricting the way of pedestrians, etc., by the police, municipal authorities and other private organisations in cities. Street vendors contribute greatly to the society by selling essential wares at affordable rates to all. Finally, we street vendors refuse to be divided along the lines of caste, class or religion, wherein hate-mongers are attempting to further their agenda of hate on the hardworking backs of street vendors,” the statement said.
The association has registered a complaint under sections 153a and 505 (2) with the Bangalore City Commissioner of Police and the DCP – South, as well as a physical complaint made at the JP Nagar Police Station. Vinay Sreenivasa, the complainant, said the police have received the complaint, and will seek a legal opinion on the matter before filing an FIR (First Information Report).