An Ahmedabad Navratri event featuring singer Jigardan Gadhvi was stopped on the second night after organisers failed to secure police permission linked to a pending structural stability report, leaving ticketed attendees waiting outside for hours and triggering vandalism at the venue on New Science City Road.
According to a report by Divya Bhaskar, large numbers of attendees reached the event’s air-conditioned dome from around 8 pm expecting entry. Organisers reportedly told them that admission would begin shortly, but the gates remained closed. By 10 pm, there had still been no clear announcement on whether the garba programme would take place.
The delay followed inspections related to the event’s permissions. The report said the fire department had not initially issued a no-objection certificate for the first night. After an inspection on the second day, the fire department issued the NOC at about 7 pm. However, the police did not grant permission because the organisers had not received a structural stability report.
Organisers had reportedly been waiting for police approval, expecting it to arrive by the evening. When the permission did not come through, the event could not begin. The organisers later apologised to attendees on social media, attributing the delay to the time required to verify arrangements at the site. They also announced that ticket holders would receive refunds.
The lack of timely communication intensified the situation. After waiting for several hours, attendees reportedly broke through the entry gate and entered the air-conditioned dome. Chants for refunds were raised, and the lights at the venue were switched off after people gathered inside. A stage announcement subsequently informed attendees that the garba programme would not be held and that refunds would be issued.
Divya Bhaskar reported that some attendees damaged banners, posters, CCTV equipment, lighting and parts of the venue’s temporary structure. Videos from the site showed the aftermath of the disturbance, including disordered equipment and damage to event infrastructure. The report did not state the extent of the financial loss or whether police had registered a case.
Attendees quoted in the report said they should have been informed earlier that the event might not receive permission. One attendee said people had purchased passes and arrived prepared to play garba, only to discover that entry had been stopped. Another said attendees could not make alternative plans at the last minute after the programme was cancelled.
The refund process remained unclear for some ticket holders. The report said tickets booked through the ShowMyEvent app did not display a refund option, while the organisers’ social media announcement did not specify how or when the money would be returned.
The organisers later indicated that the event would be held on the third night after receiving police permission. The report said the organisers posted that they were ready to conduct the programme, but it did not provide independent confirmation of the subsequent event arrangements. The pending structural documentation and the sequence of fire and police permissions had been central to the cancellation.
