Kaanta laga: VHP disrupts show
Despite their assurance not to create trouble, more than 20 activists of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) disrupted the musical night featuring Kaanta laga girl Shefali Jariwala on Saturday. Confusion gripped Akota Stadium, with police officers asking organisers to cancel the show, but Jariwala later took the stage.

She performed only the Kaanta Laga number and left the stage as VHP activists disrupted the show once again. Fearing tension, everyone wanted to get out of the venue, leading to a stampede. To control the situation, the police resorted to lathi-charge. The problem began when a saffron-clad local group performed before Jariwala’s show. As soon as the dance number was over, some VHP activists rushed onto the stage led by Alkesh Limbachia and started raising slogans against the organisers claiming that the items were vulgar. Some saffron-clad activists also got onto the stage and demanded cancellation of the programme. Some adamant activists threatened to watch every show and continue disrupting it if they felt the items were vulgar.

City unit chief of the VHP Ajay Joshi virtually gave a sanction to the disruption of the programme blaming the organisers for including a ‘vulgar item’, which ‘hurt the feelings of the Hindu community.’ ‘‘How can they show sadhus and sants vulgarly? Our objection was only to that item and we had nothing against the programme. The organisers themselves c alled off the show,’’ asserted Joshi.

Republished from The Asian Age