A garba event in Indore was called off following objections from the local Bajrang Dal unit, allegedly due to the religious identity of its organizing member.
The event, held annually in Indore’s Bhawarkua neighborhood for 35 years, is overseen by the Shikhar Garba Mandal, with Firoz Khan, a Muslim, managing it for the past 15 years. This year, Bajrang Dal activists accused Khan of promoting “love jihad” and claimed the event was being used to form relationships between Hindu women and Muslim men.
Tannu Sharma, a Bajrang Dal leader, stated that although they were unable to act in previous years, they managed to prevent the event from happening this year by lodging a complaint with the police.
Khan expressed his disappointment, explaining that the event had always been conducted smoothly in the past. “I’ve been involved for 25 years and managing it for the last 15. We’ve never faced an issue like this before,” he said.
Indore Superintendent of Police Rishikesh Meena clarified that the police had no role in the cancellation, saying, “We did not give permission to anyone nor did we force the cancellation. This was a result of a local dispute.”
The controversy follows an earlier statement by Indore BJP district president Chintu Verma, who urged Navratri festival organisers to make people drink cow urine before entering garba venues. Verma later retracted the statement after being advised by BJP leadership.
