Non-Hindus told to leave Ahmedabad garba; ‘not my message’, says popular folk singer

• Singer Aditya Gadhvi distanced himself from an announcement asking Muslims and other non-Hindus to leave his Ahmedabad garba event

• The VHP defended the announcement, saying Bajrang Dal volunteers had asked organisers to restrict entry

• Gadhvi said his platform had been used without consultation and welcomed anyone attending garba with respect and devotion

Gujarati folk singer Aditya Gadhvi has distanced himself from an announcement asking Muslims and other non-Hindus to leave a garba event where he was performing, saying the demand did not reflect his views and his platform had been used without consultation.

The controversy followed the circulation of a video from Wednesday’s ‘Rang Morla ft. Aditya Gadhvi’ programme at Savvana Party Plot on Ahmedabad’s Shela Road.

In the footage, anchor and radio jockey Akash Trivedi is heard asking Muslims and other non-Hindus to leave the venue. He refers to the presence of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), saying its members had come to protect Sanatan Dharma.

Trivedi also announces a helpline number and asks participants to report people they consider suspicious.

Responding to criticism on social media, Gadhvi issued an Instagram statement rejecting any association with the announcement.

“What happened at the event was not my doing, and it was not my message,” he said.

The singer said a group had taken control of the backstage area and used his platform for an action he would not support. According to his statement, neither his team nor the anchor had been consulted or involved in the decision.

Describing himself as a proud Hindu, Gadhvi said performing devotional music for Maa Ambe during Navratri was deeply meaningful to him. He stressed that garba had brought people of different faiths together for generations.

“Anyone who comes to a garba with love and respect for Maa is welcome in my circle,” he said, adding that his stage was dedicated to music and devotion.

Trivedi also accepted the Instagram post as a collaborator.

The VHP, meanwhile, defended the intervention. Its Gujarat spokesperson, Hitendrasinh Rajput, told PTI that Bajrang Dal volunteers routinely visited garba venues and asked organisers to prevent non-Hindus from entering.

Rajput said volunteers sometimes applied tilak to male attendees and removed people they considered suspicious.

He said Bajrang Dal members had visited the Rang Morla event on Wednesday and asked organisers to restrict entry to Hindus. The organisers subsequently made the announcement from the stage, he added.

With PTI inputs