VHP man slaps arrested Gujarat cleric for anti-garba jibe

Sufi cleric Imam Mehdi Hasan, who made a controversial statement alleging commercialisation of garba and got arrested for it, was on Wednesday given a resounding slap, throwing him to the ground on the Thasra court campus in central Gujarat. He was allegedly slapped by a member of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), whose volunteers also held demonstrations outside the court against him.

The incident took place on a day when Gujarat's Minister of State for Home Rajnikant Patel issued a statement that there was no question of banning Muslims from entering garba venues as demanded by the VHP and the Bajrang Dal.

It was after this demand that Hasan stated that garba had no longer remained a religious festival but one that was a source of entertainment for "demons". According to him, the festival has been totally commercialised, where youths dance to Bollywood numbers and come in an inebriated state. His statement provoked a police complaint and his subsequent arrest on Tuesday.

Just as Hasan stepped into the court premises, a youth, Rakesh Patel, slapped him so hard that Hasan collapsed on the ground. Acting fast, the police hauled up Patel and two others.

More than 200 VHP workers had gathered near the court premises and shouted slogans against the Imam when he was being produced in the court.

Hasan was sent to a 14-day judicial custody by Principal Civil Judge P.V. Bhatt, who also rejected his bail petition.