A coalition of civil society organisations and concerned citizens in Gujarat has issued a joint statement strongly condemning the religious profiling and vigilante interference that took place on October 14, 2026, during a Navratri event in Ahmedabad featuring artist Aditya Gadhvi.
According to the statement, an announcement broadcast from the stage during the commercial Garba event 'Rang Morla ft. Aditya Gadhvi' at Savvana Party Plot on Shela Road instructed non-Hindus—specifically Muslims—to leave the venue. The announcement reportedly referenced the presence and instructions of vigilante groups, including members of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), while circulating a hotline number to report "suspicious persons."
The signatories argue that such coercive identity checks violate constitutional guarantees under Articles 14, 15, and 21 of the Constitution, warning that repeating patterns of intimidation across Gujarat erode communal harmony and the rule of law.
"The deliberate conversion of cultural gatherings into sites of hostility, exclusion, and polarisation undermines the social fabric of our state," the statement reads, noting that Navratri has historically served as a space of collective cultural celebration and communal unity.
The statement urges state authorities and the Director General of Police (DGP) of Gujarat to take immediate legal action, demanding:
- Registration of an FIR under key sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) for promoting enmity, criminal intimidation, and unlawful assembly.
- Decisive action against vigilante groups taking the law into their own hands.
- Institutional accountability for event organisers to ensure the safety and constitutional rights of all ticket-holding attendees.
The signatories also noted that this is not an isolated incident, citing reported incidents of Muslim performers and garba attendees being targeted in Vadodara, Surat, Bhavnagar, and other parts of Ahmedabad. "These are also not new or isolated incidents, but have been happening consistently during Navratris for the past several years," the statement said.
"Silence in the face of growing intolerance enables further lawlessness," the coalition warned, appealing to civil society—legal collectives, trade unions, youth groups, cultural workers, and conscious citizens—to proactively raise the issue before statutory oversight bodies.
The statement was drafted by ANHAD (Act Now for Harmony and Democracy), National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) Gujarat, People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) Ahmedabad District Unit, and Students and Youth Collective Ahmedabad (SYCA). It has been endorsed by over 200 concerned citizens and organisations, including advocates, academics, journalists, social workers, and human rights activists.
"Gujarat's public spaces belong equally to all its residents regardless of faith," the statement concludes. "We call upon the authorities to act swiftly, decisively, and transparently to enforce the law of the land and protect the constitutional rights of every citizen."
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