Particle.news
Download on the App Store
18 ARTICLES
·
last wk.

Bhopal Mandates ID Checks at Garba as VHP Sets Hindu-Only Rules and Waqf Chief Urges Muslims to Stay Away

Officials cite crowd safety to justify tighter checks at Navratri venues.

People wearing traditional attire perform Garba, a traditional dance of Gujarat state, on the first night of Navratri, or nine night festival, in Ahmedabad, India, Monday, Sept. 22, 2025.
Image
An order asked garba organisers to bar people without identity cards from entering their venues. (PTI/Representative)
Image

Overview

  • An order by Bhopal district collector Kaushlendra Vikram Singh bars entry to garba and dandiya events without valid ID and requires CCTV coverage, fire-safety gear, first aid and weapons screening.
  • VHP advisories tell organisers to restrict entry to Hindus, verify Aadhaar, apply tilak and have participants perform puja, with local VHP and Bajrang Dal units saying they will monitor compliance.
  • Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane called garba events "epicentres" of so-called love jihad, backed ID checks and suggested converting those who attend despite the advisory, drawing sharp criticism.
  • Madhya Pradesh minister Vishvas Sarang said garba is a religious ritual and only Hindus should attend, asserting that participants should reveal their identity at entry points.
  • Chhattisgarh Waqf Board chair Salim Raj asked Muslim youth to stay away from garba, local venues posted exclusionary hoardings, police increased oversight, and in Surat organisers apologised and cancelled an orchestra contract after non-Hindu performers were flagged.