Ahmedabad: Multiple civil society organisations in Gujarat and other states on Monday issued a joint statement against ‘religious profiling and vigilante interference’ in a Navratri event on Oct 14. The signatories sought police and legal action for promoting enmity and criminal intimidation among other counts.
The signees termed the incident a direct violation of constitutional guarantees including Article 14 (equality before law), Article 15(1) and (2) (prohibition of discrimination), Article 21 (right to life and personal liberty) and mentioned that festivals in Gujarat including Navratri have been spaces of collective cultural celebration, social harmony and communal unity.
The incident took place on Oct 14 at ‘Rang Morla ft Aditya Gadhvi’ where the anchor asked “non-Hindus” to immediately leave the venue, according to the statement. “The announcement openly referenced the presence and instructions of extra-constitutional vigilante groups, including members of the VHP while circulating a hotline number to report suspicious persons,” added the statement.