‘Want to end love jihad’: Garba organisers in Ujjain ban non-Hindus, make ‘Tilak’ and Aadhaar Card

Ujjain, Oct 18: In a significant development, a Garba organizer in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh has grabbed attention as it has put up posters "banning" non-Hindus from entering the Navratri celebrations. The moves comes with an aim to end Love Jihad in the city.

  

According to the reports, the organizers of the Garba event are verifying Aadhar cards before allowing visitors to the event. Meanwhile, the administrative authorities have also supported the move. “It is their private function, and they have issued passes for entry to the event. What is the problem with this?” stated Ujjain SP Sachin Sharma.

 

The organizer, ‘Sankalp Sanskrit Sanstha’, also mandated that every male Garba attendee be ‘welcomed with a tilak’. “The tilak will deter non-Hindus,” Sanstha president Bahadur Singh Rathore was quoted as saying by the Times of India.

 

According to the reports, Navratri Garba is a very popular celebration in these parts, and it is being conducted for the fifth year in a row on a public ground near Nanakheda on the Indore-Ujjain road. Over 5,000 individuals are believed to have attended the celebrations so far. The organizers are making announcements concerning the entry requirements for the event.

 

Rathore further added that the organizers are not against any religion but the move has been imposed to ensure the safety of the women. “We are not against any religion, but we want to put an end to love-jihad and restrict entry to those trying to spread animosity. Garba events were used to mislead Hindu girls into marrying men of other religions,” Rathore said.

 

Earlier, on 7th October, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad in Gujarat had asked the government to take steps to ensure that no Islamists enter into the religious pandal to lure Hindu women into conversion. VHP joint general secretary Surendra Jain stated that the Hindu religious processions were being increasingly targeted during festivals.