MP government asks Garba events' organisers to check IDs after minister brings up 'Love Jihad'

On 8 September, Culture Minister Usha Thakur suggested that entry into Garba dance venues in the state during the Navratri festival should be allowed only after checking ID cards to prevent ‘Love Jihad’ Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh government has asked Garba organisers to check the identity cards of people before allowing them entry into the dance pandals, days after a state minister claimed such events had become a means of ‘Love Jihad’. In a bid to maintain peace and harmony on such a holy occasion, the organisers have been instructed to provide entry in the Garba events only after checking the ID cards,” state Home Minister Narottam Mishra told reporters on Tuesday. On 8 September, Culture Minister Usha Thakur suggested that entry into Garba dance venues in the state during the Navratri festival should be allowed only after checking of ID cards to prevent “Love Jihad”. Hindu right-wing leaders have claimed in the past that a ‘Love Jihad’ conspiracy was afoot in the country where Hindu girls were lured by men from the minority community and forced to convert upon marriage.