Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has decided not to allow Muslims to participate in garba-dandiya events during Navratri in Maharashtra. The VHP has set rules for organisers.
These include checking the Aadhaar cards of attendees and asking them to apply a tilak on their foreheads to verify their Hindu identity.
Garba events are held at more than one lakh venues across the state during Navratri. The VHP said the rules were made to prevent “love jihad.”
VHP says – Navratri is a festival dedicated to worshipping the goddess
VHP National Spokesperson and Joint Secretary Shriraj Nair said that Navratri is not merely an event for dancing and singing, but a festival dedicated to worshipping the Goddess. The purpose of the restrictions is not to oppose any community. The VHP considers them precautionary measures.
He said that monitoring teams from the Vishva Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal will be deployed at garba venues to ensure compliance with the rules.
25,000-30,000 public Garba groups, crowds of up to 40,000
There are 25,000 to 30,000 public garba groups in Maharashtra. There are more than 3,000 in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Commercial events are held at 50 to 70 large grounds in Mumbai, Thane, and Navi Mumbai. Between 10,000 and 40,000 people gather at these events every day.
Allegations of people concealing their identities to attend Garba events
During Garba events held during Navratri, there have been repeated instances of people from the Muslim community participating. There have also been complaints of people attending Garba events while concealing their identities. In Madhya Pradesh, after the state government appealed for identity-card checks, several Garba organizers banned the entry of non-Hindus. In Indore, some people were accused of entering a venue while concealing their identities, and the police made arrests.
