After demands for ban on Muslim participations in Navratri, ID cards made must for garba in Ujjain, Indore

The campaign against 'Love Jihad'​ is slowly gaining steam in both BJP ruled state of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.

According to Indian Express, now photo-ID cards have been made compulsory for entry into garba grounds in Indore and Ujjain. This is the first time such a instruction have been given.

The timing of the notice is suspicious as it comes closely on the heels of a BJP MLA of the state asking to ban Muslims at garba venues. Although authorities state that this is being done to stop entry of “unauthorised participants and criminal elements” at the events. But no clarity has been given on what those terms encompass. 

According to the media report, Additional District Magistrate (Indore) Ashish Singh said that these instructions have been issued “purely from the law and order point of view”. On the other hand, City Superintendent of  Police (Ujjain) Vijay Dawar said identity cards will be compulsory for all and programmes need to be wind up by 11 am.

In Ujjain, organisers were also told to ensure that only pass-holders are allowed entry as audience. In Indore, the largest city in Madhya Pradesh, organisers have been told to  install CCTV cameras but there are no instructions on passes for audience. 

The recent comments by Indore MLA Usha Thakur linking 'Love Jihad' to participation of Muslim youths in garbas was cause of a major uproar recently. Thakur, who is the state BJP vice president asked party workers to check that Muslim youths don't get a chance to enter garba ground. According to her, those men look to lure Hindu girls and convert them to Muslims, as a part of Love Jihad.

In Gujarat though, Hindu organisations are looking to crackdown on 'love jihad' in a much brazen way. VHP in particular is in the forefront in the campaign which aims to keep the demographic profile of the country same. It has circulated to audio tapes in Vadodra and written to the police chief to ban Muslims from entering garba ground. The audio tapes have been circulated on Whatsapp which aims to warn Hindus.

In a curious turn of events, it targets an upcoming Salman Khan film called  'Bajrangi Bhaijaan', whose shooting hasn't started yet!! According to VHP, the movie starring Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor promotes the concept of 'Love Jihad'. VHP's states that their "secret sources" revealed to them that Kareena is playing a Brahmin girl who falls in love with a Muslim man played by Salman. The audio tape says that the director has equated the relationship to Ram and Sita’s to encourage Hindu girls to have ties with Muslim boys. It alleges that money from Arab countries are funding the movie. 

The other tape mentions about a guy called "Wasim Akram" who apparently is using Hindu names to trap girls from the majority community. The audio claims the person has acknowledged to his acts. The audio tapes claims Kerala and Dhaka are headquarters of 'Love Jihad'. 

Even after losing badly in by polls in Uttar Pradesh where 'Love Jihad'​ became a major issue, seems like BJP is not looking to change its course anytime soon.