A garba event at Durg’s Civil Lines hockey ground was disrupted on Wednesday night after members of the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad objected to the alleged presence of Muslim youths, leading to a scuffle on stage and a police case. Congress city district president and former Durg mayor Dheeraj Bakliwal was reportedly shoved during the confrontation.
Videos showing arguments, pushing and a brief melee at the venue later circulated on social media. The event had been organised at the hockey ground, and the dispute reportedly began after NSUI office-bearer Adil Khan shared a promotional poster mentioning free entry passes.
According to the report, members of the right-wing organisations reached the venue and went onto the stage during the programme. One of the opponents addressed the gathering and objected to Muslims entering the garba venue. Organisers asked them not to disrupt the event, after which the exchange escalated and several people began pushing one another.
One video showed a man shoving Bakliwal before people at the venue intervened. Bakliwal later said the programme was free and open to anyone attending with faith and respect for the festival. He accused some people of deliberately disrupting the event.
VHP functionary Ramlochan Tiwari said the organisation opposed the participation of Muslim youths and demanded tighter entry checks at the venue. The reported dispute therefore involved both an immediate confrontation during a public cultural programme and a wider disagreement over access controls at the event.
Police registered a case on the complaint of the organising committee. The reported charges include provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to voluntarily causing hurt, rioting and obscene words or acts in a public place. Police are examining video recordings and CCTV footage to identify those involved.
Additional Superintendent of Police Manishankar Chandra told reporters that a dispute had occurred during the garba programme and that further action would follow after the footage was examined. Hindu organisations have also threatened further protest if police do not act on their complaint.
The next step in the case is the police review of CCTV and video evidence, followed by identification of those involved and further action on the competing complaints.
