No Non-Hindus To Be Allowed Into Durga Puja Pandals In Ratlam: VHP

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has restricted entry for people from other faiths from entering Durga Puja pandals in Madhya Pradesh's Ratlam during Garba to "avoid any clash and harassment of Hindu women".

The party has put up posters outside all pandals, prohibiting entry of those who are not Hindus and asked the administration to check the identity cards of visitors. Hindustan Times quoted Chandan Sharma, VHP, Dharm Prasar wing in-charge as saying, "We are putting posters as a section of people from other communities harass Hindu women or shoot their videos without permission. To avoid any clash and mismanagement, we have asked the administration to check the identity cards."

Puja Organisers Hail Move

Meanwhile, the puja organisers welcomed the VHP's move. "We are allowing the posters of VHP at the entry gate of the pandal as we don't want to create any confusion.VHP members have asked us to check identity cards and in case of any doubt, they have asked us to inform them," said Mayur Purohit, president of Maa Ambey Durga Utsav Samiti, Ratlam.

Kumar Purshottam, Ratlam district collector, did not comment on the issue and said that it is between the VHP and the organiser.

There are plans to implement this move across the whole state next year. "We will implement this across the state because people of mainly one community use religious programmes to befool women of the Hindu community. They use fake names to impress women and later they pressurise them for changing their religion for marriage. Now, we will save our women from these fraudsters," said VHP Madhya Kshetra in-charge Rajesh Tiwari.

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