Ahead of Navratri, senior Gujarat activists write to CM Anandiben Patel to protest Love Jihad "terror"

By A Representative
With Navratri festival all set to begin in Gujarat, several civil rights groups and individual activists of Gujarat have come together to strongly protest the efforts by certain “extremist” forces to create an atmosphere of communal hatred in Gujarat in the name of fighting Love Jihad, saying, the essence of the whole exercise of these forces is to consider women as property of a particular community by considering Navaratri as the private property of a particular Hindutva group. In a strongly-worded letter to Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel, they have urged upon her to immediately put a brake on their “vicious propaganda.”
Pointing out that Navratri, which starts on September 25, is not just a religious festival but exemplifies Gujarat’s cultural heritage, the letter says, “It is dangerous that the Hindutva forces are trying to project it as their private property. One should not allow this to happen. This is particularly pernicious that it is happening at a time when Narvratri garbas are sought to be turned into commercial profit-making ventures for propagating tourism.”
Among those who have signed the letter include Trupti Shah of Sahiyar Women’s Organisation (Vadodara), Nita Choksi of Sangini (Vadodara), Sofia Khan of Safar (Ahmedabad), Sushil Prajapati of Action Aid (Ahmedabad), Nita Hardikar of Anandi (Rajkot), Priti Soni of Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan, Latifa Giteli of Alfasal Education Trust (Godhra), Priti Jha of Peace and Equity Cell (Ahmedabad), Rohit Prajapati of Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti (Vadodara), and social activists Rajal Chattopadhyay and Prasad Chakko.
The letter says, while the state home department has issued an order saying that it would “strictly deal with those who do not allow individuals to enter into garba premises in the name of religion”, efforts are lacking to ensure that this does not happen.
“Already, attempts are being made, via social media and through the distribution of leaflets, to not to allow individuals of a particular community to enter into garba events”, it said, adding, “Already, Hindutva forces have taken upon themselves the task of not allowing persons of that community into garba premises. If this happens, it would be illegal, and it is the responsibility of the police to ensure that things are not allowed to slip like this.”
Suggesting that all this is merely leading to the creation of even more communal hatred, the letter says, “This is merely creating an atmosphere of terror among young boys and girls. We hope that you agree that criminals have no religion, and whoever perpetrates all this is brought to books.”
Particularly taking strong exception to the term “Love Jihad”, the letter said, “The entire effort is to create a feeling of fear and anxiety among the parents about what would happen in case their daughters to go to garba, which last till late at night.” Calling this a reflection of the patriarchal mindset, the letter said, “Instead of making efforts to ensure security of girls, these forces are seeking to put restrictions on them.”
Pointing out that some political forces are seeking to take advantage of all this, the letter says, all this is “against the very spirit of the Indian constitution, which provides full rights to any adult to enter into marriage relationship with the person of another religion.” It adds, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi says that communal and caste divisions are “hurdles in the way to development, elements like Adityanath, Pravin Togadia and other leaders are behaving as if women are the private property of their faith.”

Comments

The golden crop: How turmeric is transforming women's lives in tribal India

By Vikas Meshram* When the lush green fields of turmeric sway in the tribal belt of southern Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat, it is not merely a spice crop — it is the golden glow of self-reliance. In villages where even basic spices once had to be bought from the market, the very soil today is yielding a prosperity that has transformed the lives of thousands of families. At the heart of this transformation is the initiative of Vaagdhara, which has linked turmeric with livelihoods, nutrition, and village self-governance — gram swaraj.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Love letters in a lifelong war: Babusha Kohli’s resistance in verse

By Ravi Ranjan* “War does not determine who is right—only who is left.” Bertrand Russell’s words echo hauntingly in our times, and few contemporary Hindi poets embody this truth as profoundly as Babusha Kohli. Emerging from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Kohli has carved a unique space in literature by weaving together tenderness, protest, and philosophy across poetry, prose, and cinema. Her work is not merely artistic expression—it is resistance, refuge, and a call for peace.

Authoritarian destruction of the public sphere in Ecuador: Trumpism in action?

By Pilar Troya Fernández The situation in Ecuador under Daniel Noboa's government is one of authoritarianism advancing on several fronts simultaneously to consolidate neoliberalism and total submission to the US international agenda. These are not isolated measures, but rather a coordinated strategy that combines job insecurity, the dismantling of the welfare state, unrestricted access to mining, the continuation of oil exploitation without environmental considerations, the centralization of power through the financial suffocation of local governments, and the systematic criminalization of all forms of opposition and popular organization.

Echoes of Vietnam and Chile: The devastating cost of the I-A Axis in Iran

By Ram Puniyani The recent joint military actions by Israel and the United States against Iran have been devastating. Like all wars, this conflict is brutal to its core, leaving a trail of human suffering in its wake. The stated pretext for this aggression—the brutality of the Ayatollah Khamenei regime and its nuclear ambitions—clashes sharply with the reality of the diplomatic landscape. Iran had expressed a willingness to remain at the negotiating table, signaling a readiness to concede points emerging from dialogue.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

False claim? What Venezuela is witnessing is not surrender but a tactical retreat

By Manolo De Los Santos The early morning hours of January 3, 2026, marked an inflection point in Venezuela and Latin America’s centuries-long struggle for self-determination and independence. Operation Absolute Resolve, ordered by the Trump administration, constituted the most brutal and direct military assault on a sovereign state in the region in recent memory. In a shocking operation that left hundreds dead, President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores were illegally kidnapped from Venezuelan soil and transported to the United States, where they now face fabricated charges in a New York federal detention facility. In the two months since this act of war, a torrent of speculation has emerged from so-called experts and pundits across the political spectrum. This has followed three main lines: One . The operation’s success indicated treason at the highest levels of the Bolivarian Revolution. Two . Acting President Delcy Rodríguez and the remaining leadership have abandone...

The selective memory of a violent city: Uttam Nagar and the invisible victims of Delhi

By Sunil Kumar* Hundreds of murders take place in Delhi every year, yet only a few incidents become topics of nationwide discussion. The question is: why does this happen? Today, the incident in Uttam Nagar has become the centre of national debate. A 26-year-old man, Tarun Kumar, was killed following a dispute that reportedly began after a balloon hit a small child. In several colonies of Delhi, slogans such as “Jai Shri Ram” and “Vande Mataram” are being raised while demanding the death penalty for Tarun’s killers. As a result, nearly 50,000 residents of Hastsal JJ Colony are now living in what resembles a state of confinement.

The price of silence: Why Modi won’t follow Shastri, appeal for sacrifice

By Arundhati Dhuru, Sandeep Pandey* In 1965, as India grappled with war and a crippling food crisis, Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri faced a United States that used wheat shipments under the PL-480 agreement as a lever to dictate Indian foreign policy. Shastri’s response remains legendary: he appealed to the nation to skip one meal a day. Millions of middle-class households complied, choosing temporary hunger over the sacrifice of national dignity. Today, India faces a modern equivalent in the energy sector, yet the leadership’s response stands in stark contrast to that era of self-reliance.

Search This Blog