Garba entry row: MLA's unsupported "4.5 lakh girls" claim and VHP demand for Aadhaar checks
Mhow MLA Usha Thakur called for barring non-Hindus from garba pandals and claimed 4.5 lakh girls elope with non-Hindu men during garba every year.
- ThePrint
Mhow MLA Usha Thakur called for barring non-Hindus from garba pandals and claimed 4.5 lakh girls elope with non-Hindu men during garba every year. Both reports note she cited no basis for the figure.
The VHP has proposed Aadhaar checks at entry, and the Congress called the remarks an insult to Hindu women.
Key data
The 4.5 lakh figure is unverified and no official data supports it.
Why it matters
Fights over garba entry rules will intensify through Navarātri, and verifiable security concerns should be kept apart from unverified numbers.
GK: did you know?
UNESCO inscribed the Garba of Gujarat on its Intangible Cultural Heritage list in December 2023.
