Overview

• BJP MLA Rameshwar Sharma said non-Hindus could join garba only after applying tilak, drinking Gangajal, performing aarti, and wearing dhoti-kurta, presenting it as a return to the Sanatan fold and invoking 'Hindu DNA'.
• Sharma warned that if non-Hindus at garba venues are found misbehaving with women, their homes would be demolished with bulldozers.
• State youth affairs minister Vishwas Sarang stated that only those who believe in Sanatan dharma and worship Sherawali Mata should be allowed to perform garba, saying non-Hindus would not be permitted.
• Bhopal MP Alok Sharma said 'Love Jihadis' would not be allowed or spared at Navratri pandals and urged organizers to use video filming and Aadhaar or other ID checks to screen entrants.
• Reports also noted a memorandum from Bajrang Dal in Bhopal seeking a ban on Muslim entry and political pushback from Congress voices, as national outlets amplified the issue ahead of Navratri on September 22.