Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad have alleged that the garba event promotes so-called 'love jihad'. Firoz Khan, one of the organisers, offered to submit in writing that he would leave the city for 10 days, urging that the event be allowed to go ahead
A popular garba event in Indore has been cancelled over objections from right-wing outfits that accused the event organizer of promoting so-called “love jihad”.
The event was reportedly being organized annually in the Ganesh Nagar area of the city for the last 35 years.
The row erupted when a poster of one Firoz Khan, said to be one of the organizers of the event, came up at various places ahead of Navratri. The permission for organizing the garba event was allegedly taken in the name of Deepak Hardia and his companions.
The Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad allegedly created a ruckus over the poster and approached the Bhawarkuan Police Station police. The right-wing groups submitted a memorandum claiming that the organizers were promoting “love jihad” in the name of organizing the garba event.
The organizer in question offered to submit in writing that he would leave the city for 10 days but that the Devi Pujan should be allowed to take place for nine days.
“Bajrang Dal workers should install the idol of the goddess here. Girls from 300 families worship the goddess here. The eternal flame burns here. We have been organizing this garba,/em> for the last 35 years. Till date, there has never been any objection…,” Firoz Khan said.
The Bajrang Dal has vowed to prevent the event from taking place. The police stated that the right-wing group submitted a memorandum regarding the matter. The event had to be eventually called off.
