Over the past few years, a section of the mainstream media has been amplifying the bogey of “garba jihad” every Navratri – the Hindutva conspiracy theory that Muslim men are entering garba pandals to lure Hindu women into an Islamist trap.
But it seems to have taken a new dimension this year, with Hindi daily Patrika co-organising and sponsoring a garba event “exclusively for Sanatani Hindu” families in Bhopal. This is in line with calls from various Hindutva groups advocating for restrictions on non-Hindus entering pandals in Madhya Pradesh; and among those who have backed such curbs are state minister Dharmendra Singh Lodha.
Patrika is not the only media outlet among the sponsors. News24 MP-Chhattisgarh and Red FM are also funding the ‘Patrika Bhojpal Garba Mahotsav’ event at Bhopal’s Jamboori Maidan. “Pravesh keval Hindu Sanatani parivar ke liye (entry only for Hindu Sanatani family),” notes the pass for the five-day event which kicked off on October 5.
Newslaundry reached out to Patrika editor-in-chief Vijay Chaudhary for comment. Newslaundry also reached out to Siddharth Kothari, the son of the paper’s owner Gulab Kothari and one of the directors of Patrika group. This report will be updated if any of them responds.
‘Forced to get tilak’
A 24-year-old, who attended the Patrika event, claimed that Aadhaar cards and names were needed for entry, and that those who didn’t have them were checked for ritual threads or religious attire. “I went with my friends, and before checking our passes, they asked for our names and Aadhaar cards. After verifying the passes, they insisted on putting a tilak on everyone’s forehead. I mentioned that I’m allergic to vermilion, but they still applied it forcefully. Additionally, if someone didn’t have an Aadhaar card, they were checked for religious symbols, like lockets featuring Hindu deities or threads, to gain entry.”
“I’ve always read Patrika for news and considered it a reliable source of information and awareness, but now I have serious concerns about its credibility and biases. A newspaper should be free from such prejudices.”
A 21-year-old fine arts student from a government college in Bhopal who attended the event said that instead of hosting an event “based on religious exclusivity, Patrika should have organised a garba celebration that welcomed all citizens without discrimination”. “I feel that Patrika has become part of the ‘Godi media,’ lacking the courage to challenge societal wrongs and merely acting as a puppet for the government. It’s shameful for a news organisation to support religious extremism like this.”
A 24-year-old documentary filmmaker, who attended the event, said, “I went with my friends, and it was only after we arrived that one of them noticed the restriction note on our passes. Just imagine if any of our Muslim friends had joined us – it would have been deeply embarrassing. They were forcibly applying tilaks on everyone’s forehead, insisting that entry was only permitted with it. What kind of extremism is this?”
“If they can openly support discrimination like this, it raises serious questions about the kind of news articles they are publishing.”
When Newslaundry reached out to Amit Trishal, the paper’s marketing head in Bhopal, he said, “We organised the Bhojpal Garba Mahotsav as a media sponsor. We were not aware that the passes and tickets included a note restricting entry for non-Hindus. They did not show us the passes beforehand, and we only learned about it later. We’ve made it clear that we cannot support such religious discrimination and requested that they withdraw those passes. Although the tickets have already been distributed, we’ve informed them that we are pulling out of the event. Additionally, we have asked them to blur the discriminatory note on any remaining tickets they plan to distribute.”
NBDSA order
In 2022, a few pandals saw vigilante violence, close on the heels of then Madhya Pradesh’s cultural affairs minister Usha Thakur declaring that the garba pandal has become a medium of “love jihad” and the state’s BJP government telling garba organisers to verify the identities of the visitors.
Last year, Times Now Navbharat was told to take down an episode of Navika Kumar’s primetime show Sawal Public Ka for violating guidelines aimed at preventing a communal colour in reportage on crime and riots.
The order came on a complaint filed by Indrajeet Ghorpade, who said that the show implied Muslim men came to garba events to “commit crimes” against Hindu women.
Times Now Navbharat wasn’t the only one. Newslaundry had reported on the new bogey of “garba jihad” that was broadcasted by several channels, including on Navika Kumar’s show, in the wake of a series of attacks by Hindutva footsoldiers on Muslim men during Navratri festivities in Indore in Madhya Pradesh, Ahmedabad in Gujarat and Akola in Maharashtra.
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