Ahmedabad recorded five murder cases during the nine days of the 2026 Navratri festival, with incidents reported in Amraiwadi, Danilimda, Shahibaug, Ramol and Khokhra, according to a report by Gujarat Samachar. Police have registered murder cases and initiated action against the accused in all five matters.
The incidents reportedly followed disputes involving a range of immediate triggers, including arguments, earlier enmity, a financial dispute at a tea stall, vehicle parking and a property disagreement. The cases have drawn attention to the escalation of routine confrontations into fatal violence during a period when large numbers of residents were attending garba events and travelling across the city at night.
The report said the five incidents took place during the festival’s nine-day period and occurred in different parts of Ahmedabad. It did not provide the names of the accused or victims, or specify the individual dates and times of each incident. The reported locations were Amraiwadi, Danilimda, Shahibaug, Ramol and Khokhra.
Before Navratri, Ahmedabad city police had spoken about enhanced security arrangements for citizens and garba participants. The stated approach included strict deployment and a “zero tolerance” policy during the festival. The five reported murders have nevertheless raised questions about the effectiveness of security arrangements and night patrolling during the celebrations.
The incidents also involved disputes that, as described in the report, began over relatively immediate matters rather than a single organised criminal activity. The reported triggers included a disagreement over tea-stall payments, parking, property and personal disputes. In each case, the confrontation allegedly escalated into violence resulting in death.
Senior psychologist Dr Prashant Bhimani told Gujarat Samachar that prolonged festivities, lack of sleep, sustained excitement and stress can affect behaviour and impulse control. He also cautioned that no single factor should be treated as the direct cause of a murder. His comments were made in the context of questions about why arguments during an extended festival period can become violent.
The cases have put both festival security and responses to street-level disputes under scrutiny. Large public celebrations require police deployment around venues and routes, but the reported incidents also occurred in neighbourhood settings involving personal or local disagreements. The available report does not establish whether the cases were connected to garba venues or whether they occurred within designated festival areas.
Police have registered cases in all five incidents and begun action against the accused, according to the report. Further details about arrests, investigations, the identities of those involved and the specific circumstances of each case were not provided in the supplied material.
