VHP bars Muslims from Navratri Garba and Dandiya events in Maharashtra

The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has announced that Muslims will be barred from participating in Garba and Dandiya events during the upcoming Navratri festival in Maharashtra. The festival is scheduled to begin on October 11.

To enforce this, the VHP has issued guidelines for event organizers, which include mandatory identity verification through Aadhaar cards and the application of a sandalwood tilak on participants' foreheads to confirm their Hindu identity. Shriraj Nair, a VHP spokesperson and joint secretary, stated that the decision is based on the religious nature of the festival, noting that Navratri is a period of goddess worship and that Muslims, who do not practice idol worship, should not participate in such religious observances.

Nair described the measures as ‘precautionary’ rather than communal, asserting that the goal is to protect the cultural and religious character of Hindu traditions. The directive follows previous incidents of tension and violence involving religious identity at similar celebrations in other parts of India.