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No Muslims Allowed in Garba? VHP Issues Strict Guidelines for Maharashtra Events

The group urged organisers to check Aadhaar cards and apply tilak as opposition leaders criticized the move as discriminatory.

  • On Sunday, The Vishva Hindu Parishad announced a ban on Muslims participating in Garba events across Maharashtra during the upcoming Navratri festival. Organisers must verify identities using Aadhaar cards and apply 'tilak' on attendees' foreheads.
  • VHP spokesperson Shriraj Nair stated the group aims to prevent Muslim participation because the festival centers on worshipping the Goddess. Hindutva groups also claim identity checks help prevent so-called 'love jihad,' a conspiracy theory involving religious conversion.
  • Garba, a Gujarati folk dance symbolizing the Goddess Durga, is performed during Navratri starting October 11. The Vishva Hindu Parishad is part of a Hindutva coalition led by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the parent organization of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
  • Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut criticized the move, arguing Muslims contributed to India's freedom struggle. Nationalist Congress Party spokesperson Clyde Crasto warned the restrictions are bound to disturb peace.
  • Raut urged RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to address contradictions between his stated calls for unity and the Vishva Hindu Parishad's exclusionary behavior. Parliament was previously informed that Indian law provides no legal definition for so-called 'love jihad.
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  • 43% of the sources lean Left, 43% of the sources lean Right
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TV9 Marathi broke the news on Sunday, September 6, 2026.
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