Maharashtra: Row erupts after VHP urges garba organisers to not allow entry of non-Hindus

A political row erupted in Maharashtra on Saturday after Hindutva group Vishwa Hindu Parishad urged garba organisers to bar non-Hindus from entering such events in the state and check Aadhaar cards for identification, The Hindu reported.

“Garba is not merely a dance but a form of worship to please the goddess,” Vishwa Hindu Parishad national spokesperson Shriraj Nair was quoted as saying by the newspaper on Saturday. “They [an apparent reference to Muslims] do not believe in idol worship.”

He said that only those having faith in the rituals must be allowed to participate, further advising organisers to apply a tilak on participants and ensure that they perform a puja before entering garba events.

“VHP and Bajrang Dal workers will monitor the events,” Nair said. “Garba is a form of worship, not entertainment.”

Garba is a Gujarati folk dance, performed in a circular pattern around a lamp or idol, symbolising the Hindu deity Durga. It is performed during the festival of Navratri, which will begin on Monday and end on October 2 this year.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal are part of a group of Hindutva organisations led by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the parent organisation of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

Responding to the statement, state Revenue Minister and BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule said: “That...

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