Garba organizers in Ujjain check Aadhaar cards and exclude non-Hindus out of concern for “love jihad”
According to a media source, the Garba event planners in Ujjain have forbidden non-Hindus from attending in order to “prevent love jihad”. The event’s organizers, Sankalp Sanskriti Sanstha, are verifying guests’ Aadhaar cards and have mandated that male visitors be “welcomed with a Tilak,” according to a Wednesday story in The Times of India. The last stipulation is thought of as a check to ensure that participants are in fact Hindus.
The article said that since the event was private, law enforcement officials don’t appear to mind these arbitrary limitations.
They have provided permits for entrance to the event since it is a private event for them. What is the problem with this?” SP Sachin Sharma was reported as asking by the TOI.
However, according to the report, District Collector Kumar Purushottam said that he was not aware of “any such thing” and will investigate it in line with the law if a complaint is received.
The organizing committee members justified their choices by saying they were “not against any religion but want to put an end to love jihad and restrict entry to those trying to spread animosity.”
The action is probably going to spark additional discussion about “love jihad,” a phrase that is often used to refer to supposed interfaith partnerships that some people think are efforts at coercive religious conversion. The phrase, according to detractors, is often used to stigmatize interfaith partnerships, fostering a climate of fear and distrust.
Last year, three Muslim men were publicly flogged by police after being detained on suspicion of throwing stones at a gathering during the Navratri holiday in Undhela village, Kheda district. They were tied to a pole and publicly flogged. In the DK Basu v. State of West Bengal case, which established criteria for police behavior during arrests and detentions, the Gujarat High Court filed charges of contempt of court against the police officials earlier this month.
