Dandiya event in Virar college takes controversial turn

A male student faces FIR for posting controversial videos of women at a college dandiya event, sparking communal tensions and debate on inclusivity.

MUMBAI: Navratri festivities at a Virar college took a controversial turn when a male student uploaded videos of young women playing dandiya, giving the incident a communal twist. Bolinj police on Tuesday registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the student of Viva College in Virar west, for posting videos accompanied by objectionable comments.

Dandiya event in Virar college takes controversial turn

According to the Bolinj police, the garba was organised by the college along with the Gujarathi Mitra Mandal and U238. Police said the chats accompanying the video had been posted by a student and another individual, both Muslims. The chats had referred to the girls being “tortured”. The incident took place on September 26 and the FIR was registered on Tuesday.

Giving the incident a communal tone, BJP Yuva Morcha state secretary Ashok Shelke on Sunday claimed that dandiya is “only for Hindus”. However, former MLA Hitendra Thakur, a trustee of the college, said garba is open to all.

Later, Thakur registered the FIR with the Bolinj police and said, “The garba event has nothing to do with the college. This event has been arranged by a private organisation and is only being held in the college premises. Garba is open to all religions and it is wrong to ban anyone.”

Local BJP leaders have since started a campaign on social media, reiterating that garba is “only for Hindus”.