A garba event in Indore has been cancelled, allegedly over the organiser’s faith, after the local Bajrang Dal unit raised objections. The event has been taking place in Indore’s Bhawarkua neighbourhood for the past 35 years, with the Shikhar Garba Mandal responsible for idol installation and Garba Raas there. This year, Bajrang Dal activists accused its Muslim organiser, Firoz Khan, of promoting “love jihad”. The outfit alleged that the event was being used to foster relationships between Hindu women and Muslim men, and also complained to the police in this regard. "We could not act against this organiser earlier. This year, we got information in time and cancelled his programme. We also submitted a complaint to the local police," Bajrang Dal leader Tannu Sharma said. Khan, the event's organiser, expressed his dismay over the controversy. “This event has been happening for 35 years. I’ve been involved for 25 years, and have been managing it for the last 15. We’ve never faced such an issue before,” he said. Indore Superintendent of Police Rishikesh Meena said the police had no involvement in the matter. “We have not given permission to anyone, nor have we forced any event organiser to cancel their event. This incident occurred due to a dispute between local parties,” he said. Recently, the Indore BJP district president Chintu Verma had courted controversy after he urged organisers of Navratri festivals to make people drink cow urine before letting them inside garba pandals. He later backtracked after the state BJP leadership asked him to refrain from making such statements.
