Rajkot: Organisers of garba events, to be held during the upcoming Navratri festival, in Gujarat’s Rajkot have reportedly made submitting Aadhaar cards mandatory for identity authentication to get access to the celebrations amid “love jihad” concerns.
The Patidar community in the city called for a curb on alleged cases of “Love Jihad” during such garba events after concerns were raised over the entry of non-Hindu persons to the festival celebrations and becoming friends with Hindu women by faking their identity.
“Love Jihad” is a term often used by right-wing Hindu groups over allegations of Muslim youth converting Hindu women through marriage by posing themselves as Hindus.
Surendrasinh Wala, manager of Saheer Rasotsav, a dandiya and garba event, has issued a statement mentioning that organisers of similar events in the city should issue entry passes to attendees after they produce their Aadhaar as proof of identity.
He said the rules have been laid to curb the instances of “love jihad”.
Besides, Pushkar Patel, the leader of the Kadwa Patidar society, has also given a big statement supporting the decision. He said to curb the cases of love jihad during the Navratri festival, event organisers should make Aadhaar cards mandatory for entry.
The Hindu festival of Navratri, a nine period where people observe fast and offer prayers to deities, will begin on October 3. Gujaratis commemorate the occasion by playing garba and dandiya in large groups at events held across the state.
