Overview

• The Vishwa Hindu Parishad advised Maharashtra garba-dandiya organisers to bar non-Hindus, apply tilak at entry, verify Aadhaar cards and ensure participants perform puja.
• VHP and Bajrang Dal members said they will monitor events, and the advisory called for CCTV installation and stronger police security to deter what the groups describe as “Love Jihad.”
• VHP spokesperson Shriraj Nair and functionary Prashant Titre framed the guidance as protecting a religious observance, adding that non-Hindus who convert to Hinduism could participate.
• Maharashtra BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule said organisers may set entry conditions if events have police permission, while Congress’s Vijay Wadettiwar condemned the stance as divisive.
• In Madhya Pradesh this week, BJP leaders Rameshwar Sharma and Alok Sharma advocated ritual conditions, ID checks and video surveillance at garba venues, with Alok Sharma warning of punitive action and Bajrang Dal in Bhopal seeking a formal ban on Muslim entry.