Delhi restaurant denies street kids service; Manish Sisodia orders probe

New Delhi: The Delhi government on Sunday said it will inquire into a woman's complaint that some underprivileged children were denied service at a restaurant where she had taken them to celebrate her husband's birthday.

It was a "typical colonial mindset and cannot be tolerated," said Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. 

"I have asked District Magistrate New Delhi to enquire and report within 24 hours," Sisodia tweeted.

He said the restaurant will lose its licence if the allegation is found to be true. "We will not let the restaurant work like this."

The complainant, Sonali Shetty, who is a resident of Dehradun, said she had on Saturday taken a few street children to the restaurant in Connaught Place here to celebrate her husband's birthday.

She said the restaurant manager asked her and the children to leave as they could not be served at the eatery.

"I went to the restaurant along with eight street children who sell flowers and hand-fans near the restaurant. The owner discriminated against the kids and refused to serve them, saying they were not well dressed and looking dirty,” she alleged. 

"Police has not yet registered an FIR in the matter," Shetty said.

She protested against the alleged discrimination on Saturday and was on a sit-in outside the restaurant.

Several phone calls to the restaurant officials went unanswered.