Grow your hair if you want, It’s legal! | Society

There is no law against growing your hair or wearing earrings—all this is perfectly legal. Yet police officers in various parts of the country are arresting boys and adolescent male citizens of Nepal on charges of having long hair or wearing earrings. Dharan and Kathmandu's police officers have earned a bad reputation over this issue yet again. "Nepal is now being lead by our majesty and in this country there is no room for artists, musicians, singers and guys with long hair and earrings," a Sub-Inspector in Dharan declared to me at a public cafeteria last month, "now," referring to the political situation of Nepal since the morning of 1 Feb. 05. "I just put into the police van a guy with long hair and earrings," he continued with pride.

"There is no law that says men are not allowed to have long hair. But sometimes authorities are obliged to act on instinct. Everything does not come under law…," Ganesh KC, Deputy Superintendent of Police, District Police Office, Hanuman Dhoka, Kathmandu later told us. "It's unorthodox and untraditional to have long hairs and kundals…. It's an act of vulgarism and defilement of the society in the name of fashion."

But is it? If you think about it carefully, long hair, earrings and necklaces are in fact almost a part of the Nepali male population's physical appearance; this look is to a certain degree a part of our history and heritage. Almost all of our kings have always been ornate as far as their necklaces go. Prince Siddhartha Gautam, the Buddha, wore earrings as have other princes in recent years. It is mandatory to pierce their ears and wear 'kundals' for all hindu boys as per the dictations of our tradition and custom.

But these are only examples. Even without them, it is obvious that Nepalis have the right to grow their hair, pierce their ears, decorate them with 'kundals' and wear as many necklaces as they want, as long as it doesn't bring harm to themselves or others.

"As far as I am concerned, I don't know of any incident that involves such act of cutting hair or holding in custody a person with long hair and kundals who are not involved in any illicit act. Most rowdy guys, thugs, hooligans and drug abusers have long hair and so we have them in custody. But, if you are not of that sort, there is nothing to be afraid of," Ganesh KC, Deputy Superintendent of Police assured us. Yet all through March '05, adolescent male citizens of Nepal, in Dharan bazaar as well as Kathmandu's central market New Road, with long hair and even their friends with short hair, have been regularly arrested, held in custody over night [s] and even had their hair forcefully cut by police officers. These arrests have taken place during the afternoons as well as evenings. No legal case is officially filed against these arrestees. The parents of these victims of authority abuse often have to plead with the police department or use source-force, i.e. find a high ranking official with whom you are in good terms and request that high ranking official to order the police department to let free the person in custody.

It is apparent that this attitude and these actions by the members of Nepal's police force is a nuisance to our society. There is no denying the danger of an innocent teenager developing psychological problems after being arrested and held in custody over night in a small room to sleep and urinate in, along with actual hardened criminals and junkies craving for drugs. A police arrest case could also damage someone's chances of getting jobs and a visa for foreign countries to travel to or study in, amongst other things. It is high time that the authorities responsible take this issue into serious consideration and make their respective departments understand that long hair and earrings neither equate to a crime nor break any law of the land. These are only harmless matters of personal interest and choice – matters over which maybe your mother, but no police officer, has any jurisdiction.