Navratri celebrations compromised as Muslim men enter Garba event in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh
Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India 
15 October, 2026
Case Summary
Navratri celebrations were disrupted after two Muslim youths, Rashid Pathan and Shanu Khan, participated in a Garba event in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. Their presence sparked protests by Hindu activists. According to media reports, a Garba event was being organised in Jabalpur as part of the Navratri celebrations when information emerged that Rashid Pathan and Shanu Khan were participating in the festivities. Following this, activists from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal arrived at the Garba pandal and objected to the presence of the two Muslim youths. Their intervention triggered a commotion at the venue. The activists questioned the organisers over allowing the two Muslim youths to enter the Garba event without checking their identity cards. They expressed displeasure over the entry arrangements and argued that the identities of attendees should have been verified before they were permitted to enter the pandal. They also demanded action against those responsible for organising the event without proper identity verification. Following the protest, activists from the VHP and Bajrang Dal apprehended the two Muslim youths and took them to the Madan Mahal police station, where they were handed over to the police. Leaders of the Hindu organisations demanded strict action in the matter. The incident also brought the entry and security arrangements at Garba events in the city into focus, particularly the organisers' responsibility to enforce identity verification procedures where required. The Madan Mahal police initiated an investigation into the incident. They began examining the circumstances surrounding the youths' participation in the Garba event and the entry arrangements at the pandal. At the time of writing this report, further details of the investigation were awaited.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case is being documented in the Undecided database of the Hinduphobia Tracker because two Muslim youths entered a Garba event and participated in the celebrations. This prompted objections from Hindu activists belonging to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal. Navratri is a sacred Hindu religious observance dedicated to Goddess Durga and her nine forms. Garba, traditionally performed during Navratri, is a devotional dance through which devotees express their reverence for the Goddess. These celebrations are rooted in Hindu religious traditions and are not merely entertainment events or ordinary social gatherings open to everyone irrespective of religious affiliation. Traditional Garba events are organised as part of Hindu religious observances, and the participation of Hindu devotees is central to their religious character. Therefore, the presence of non-Hindus at such events raises questions about their reasons for attending, particularly when the gatherings are organised specifically for Hindu devotees. The presence of the two Muslim youths also raised concerns in light of the wider pattern of targeting of Garba events documented by the Hinduphobia Tracker. Between 1 January 2023 and 29 October 2026, the Tracker documented 26 incidents in which Garba events were targeted. In 13 of these incidents, Muslim perpetrators had pretended to be Hindus to gain entry into Garba events. Several cases involved Hindu women being molested or sexually assaulted during these gatherings. This documented pattern has contributed to suspicion and apprehension within the Hindu community regarding the presence of Muslim men at Garba events, particularly where their identities or intentions are unclear. In the present case, however, the available information does not establish that Rashid Pathan and Shanu Khan concealed their religious identities or entered the venue with the intention of targeting Hindu women or desecrating the religious observance. Garba is a Hindu religious observance, and Hindu communities have a legitimate interest in preserving the sanctity of their religious gatherings and determining the conditions under which they are organised. Where an event is explicitly organised for Hindu devotees, objections to the participation of individuals who do not belong to the faith may arise from the community’s desire to safeguard its religious customs and traditions. The objections raised by Hindu activists in this case must therefore be understood in the context of the religious character of Garba, the organisers’ entry arrangements and the broader pattern of incidents involving the targeting of such events. Nevertheless, the religious identity of the two youths and their participation in the celebrations, by themselves, do not establish that they acted with hostility towards Hinduism. The available evidence does not conclusively demonstrate that they entered the venue to desecrate the sanctity of Garba or that their actions were driven by religious animosity. It remains possible that their participation did not involve any deliberate religious provocation or hostile intent. The Hinduphobia Tracker follows strict parameters when documenting an incident as a religiously motivated hate crime. At the time of documentation, the available evidence in this case did not establish a clear religious motive behind the conduct of the two youths. Consequently, the incident does not currently meet the criteria for inclusion in the Tracker’s confirmed hate crime database and will remain in the Undecided database. If further information emerges establishing that their actions were driven by religious hostility or an intention to target or desecrate Hindu religious observances, the case will be reassessed and will be transferred to the hate crime database. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records incident dates based on when the crime occurred, rather than when it was reported by the media. However, in this case, media reports did not specify the exact date of the incident. Therefore, 16 October 2026, the date on which the media report was published, has been selected as the indicative incident date for documentation purposes only.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
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