An Ahmedabad Navratri event at the Sachi Navratri venue on New Science City Road was halted on the second night after police permission was not granted, leaving ticket-holders waiting outside for hours before some entered the venue and damaged gates, banners, lights and other equipment, Divya Bhaskar reported.
The organisers later apologised to attendees and announced that tickets for the cancelled night would be refunded. However, the refund process remained unclear for people who had booked tickets through the Showmat app, as no specific refund option or procedure had been provided on the platform or in the organisers’ social media announcement.
The event was scheduled to feature singer Jigardan Gadhvi. Large numbers of attendees began arriving at the air-conditioned dome from around 8 pm, expecting entry to begin shortly. They were reportedly told that entry would be allowed after a brief delay, but remained at the gate for several hours without a clear announcement on whether the programme would proceed.
According to the report, entry had still not started by 10 pm. Frustrated attendees then broke through the entry gate and entered the dome, where they raised slogans demanding refunds. The venue lights were subsequently switched off, further increasing confusion and anger among those present. An announcement from the stage later informed the crowd that the garba programme would not take place and that refunds would be issued.
The report said some attendees then damaged banners, posters, closed-circuit television equipment, lighting and parts of the temporary structure. Videos from the venue showed disordered equipment and damage to the event infrastructure. Some people were also seen removing lights and other materials from the site.
The permission dispute followed inspections by the fire department and the police. The event’s first night had reportedly taken place despite the venue not having received fire department approval at that stage. On the second day, fire officials inspected the venue and issued a fire No Objection Certificate at around 7 pm, according to the report.
Police permission was not granted because the organisers had not submitted a structural stability report for the venue. The organisers had reportedly expected to receive the police clearance later in the evening, but it did not arrive. The absence of the report was linked to the temporary event structure and became the central reason for the second-night cancellation.
The organisers said that the garba programme could not be held because additional time was needed to check all arrangements at the venue. They also posted on social media that they were prepared to hold the event on the third night, although the report noted that the structural stability report had still not been received when that announcement was made.
Attendees quoted in the report said they should have been informed before travelling to the venue and spending money on tickets and preparations. Some said that, because the cancellation was announced late, they could not make alternative arrangements at another garba venue. The organisers had not yet clarified how refunds would be processed for all ticket-holders.
The immediate question for the third night was whether the event would receive the required police permission and structural clearance before attendees were allowed to enter. The organisers’ next step was to complete the pending certification and communicate the status of the programme and refunds to ticket-holders.
