Every year controversies occur during Navratri festival and this year too is no different. The Bajrang Dal has asked all Garba and Dandiya organisers to ask participants to furnish their Aadhaar cards at entry points of the events for identifying people belonging to non-Hindu communities in Hyderabad.
“We have asked the event organisers to mandate Aadhaar cards at the entry spot to identify non-Hindus entering the venue and also to avoid employing non-Hindus as bouncers for these events,” S Kailash, Media Convener Bajrang Dal said.
When our correspondent Nikhil Sagare spoke to Subhash Chander, Bajrang Dal, state co-convenor, Telangana he said, “Dandiya has become commercialised in Telangana and Muslim youth are participating in dandiya. In some areas Muslims are sponsors and you will be denied entry for dandiya. Hence, we are asking participants to furnish their aadhaar card or else put tilak or cow’s urine on their forehead.”
While festivals like Navratri are known for promoting communal harmony. By making aadhaar card mandatory at entry points of Dandiya and Garba, Bajrang Dal is trying to create a rift within the society. Why has the government become a mute spectator towards these incidents? Why is the government not taking action against Bajrang Dal for dividing people on communal lines. Every year an attempt is made by religious groups to deny entry to non-Hindu communities.
NCP Mumbai President Nawab Malik said, “It’s the right of organisers to permit or deny the entry at Garba and Dandiya. Nobody can oppose the decision taken by them.”
Kailash stated that for the last couple of years it has been observed that groups of youth of non-Hindu communities are entering these events and since they have no concern and respect towards the divinity of the event, they are often seen misbehaving with the women participating in Garba and Dandiya. They also manhandle the men who come to the rescue of the victim.
“Also the event managers are hiring non-Hindu bouncers which seem to be a main cause for these miscreants to enter the events. Another major lapse is lack of monitoring and control on who enters the events,’’ said Kailash.
Kailash said that teams of Bajrang Dal karyakartas will be present at the venues and if such case is reported immediate action would be taken by Bajrang Dal to stop the miscreants from entering the venues which may lead to disruption of the entire event.
Congress Rajya Sabha MP Hussain Dalwai said, “Secularism means taking everyone together. Hindu Sanskruti is all inclusive and follows the ideology of Peshwas.”
Earlier too, there were instances where Muslims were being prevented from entering Garba and Dandiya events. Few years back Usha Thakur a legislator from Indore and BJP’s state vice president had written to Garba organisers in her constituency asking them to prevent Muslim men from entering the dance venues. The decision she claimed was based on a meeting of intellectuals – including doctors, engineers and senior police officers. She asked to stop this alleged “Love Jihad“, festival organisers must check IDs at the gates.
“We have received data that four lakh girls are converted to Islam every year during the Garba. Therefore, we have started this awareness drive. It has been seen that people who have no faith or devotion to the festival put tilak and wear sacred thread and practice Garba and during that time to woo our girls,” Usha Thakur said.
