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 statement was drafted by groups including Act Now for Harmony and Democracy (ANHAD), National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) Gujarat, People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Ahmedabad district unit and Students and Youth Collective Ahmedabad (SYCA).According to the statement, the incident took place on Oct 14 at ‘Rang Morla ft Aditya Gadhvi’ where the anchor asked “non-Hindus” to immediately leave the venue. “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.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 signees, including social activists, academicians, professionals and students, demanded that the state administration and law enforcement agencies register a case under BNS sections related to promoting enmity, assertions prejudicial to national integration, criminal intimidation and unlawful assembly among others.The statement signees also asked for action against extra-constitutional vigilantes and for institutional accountability for venue organisers.
