Won''t allow Muslims at Garba, says right-wing group in Gujarat

Ahmedabad, October 4

A right-wing group has issued a "diktat" barring entry of Muslims at Garba events during the upcoming Navratri festival at Mandvi town in Gujarat's Kutch district to prevent incidents of the so-called love jihad.

"We have issued a diktat barring the entry of Muslims at Garba events in Mandvi," said president of Hindu Yuva Sangthan, Raghuvirsinh Jadeja, who is also chief of Vishwa Hindu Parishad of the Mandvi tehsil unit, said on Sunday.

"Incidents of love jihad where Muslim boys lure and marry our Hindu girls happen at Garba. Our only aim is to protect our girls," Jadeja.

"We are getting a good response from the people and if the people from other regions respond to this movement, then we will spread it to their regions as well," he said.

Every person entry Garba venues go through the Hindu ‘cleansing’ ritual: a tilak on his forehead and cow-urine sprayed on him. Anbody objecting to this will be turned away at the entrance to the venues.

“My people will conduct patrols outside and inside Garba venues. If they find any non-Hindus, they will be brought outside," he said.

When asked how will they identify non-Hindus, he said: "We can identify such elements."

This comes even as fears of radical Hindu groups’ high-handedness are growing in several parts of the country — PTI