A controversy has erupted in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad after Muslims and other non-Hindus were asked to leave a high-profile Navratri garba event during a performance by popular folk singer Aditya Gadhvi. The announcement, made from the stage by anchor and radio jockey Akash Trivedi, drew criticism on social media.
The incident took place on Wednesday at the “Rang Morla ft Aditya Gadhvi” event, held at Savvana Party Plot on Shela Road in Ahmedabad. A video circulating online shows Trivedi asking non-Hindus and Muslims in the audience to leave the venue, citing the presence of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP).
“A humble request to any ‘vidharmi’ (non-Hindus) and Muslims to leave the ground. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad has come here to protect Sanatan Dharma,” Trivedi said in the video.
He also announced a helpline number and urged attendees to look around and report people they considered suspicious.
VHP Defends Move to Restrict Entry
Gujarat VHP spokesperson Hitendrasinh Rajput defended the announcement, saying that VHP and Bajrang Dal volunteers routinely visit garba venues and ask organisers to prevent non-Hindus from entering.
“Usually, Bajrang Dal, the youth wing of the VHP, visits garba events in Ahmedabad and meets the organisers, asking them to prevent non-Hindus from entering the venue,” Rajput told PTI.
He added that volunteers sometimes apply tilak to men attending the events and remove people they consider suspicious.
Rajput said Bajrang Dal volunteers had visited the Rang Morla event and requested that the organisers prevent non-Hindus from entering. According to him, the announcement was subsequently made from the stage.
The video prompted criticism on social media, with questions raised over the exclusion of people from a public festive gathering on the basis of religion.
Aditya Gadhvi Distances Himself From Announcement
Gadhvi, known for the popular song Khalasi, issued a statement on Instagram distancing himself from the announcement. He said the remarks did not reflect his views and alleged that a group had taken control of the backstage area without consulting him or his team.
“What happened at the event was not my doing, and it was not my message. A group of people took over the backstage and used my platform to do something I would never do. My team and the anchor were not consulted and were not involved in any capacity,” he wrote.
The singer also stressed that garba had traditionally brought people of different faiths together.
“Garba has never asked anyone for their surname. For generations, people of every faith in Gujarat and across India have played garba side by side, and that is what makes it ours,” he said.
“Anyone who comes to a garba with love and respect for Maa is welcome in my circle. That is not politics. That is just how I was raised,” Gadhvi added.
He said his intention was to spread love and joy and expressed faith in the law and order system, adding that he believed necessary action would be taken.
