Vadodara: Ganesh festivals in the city can have booming dhols, thumping beats and dancing but the police want one thing kept off the DJ console in Sanskarinagri – vulgarity. Ahead of the festivities, city police have instructed Ganesh pandal organisers and DJs to keep obscene songs, vulgar dialogues and provocative tracks out of the playlist.Organisers, especially in sensitive areas, have been warned that songs that may trigger communal tensions could invite action. “We held a meeting with the Ganesh pandal organisers and DJ system operators wherein they were asked to not play obscene songs during the Ganesh processions or in pandals. Such songs are not suitable for the religious festivals and they also cause unnecessary disturbance,” said Narasimha Komar, city police commissioner.“Vadodara is a Sanskarinagri with rich traditions, and festivals should enhance the image of the city. Our teams will be keeping a watch on the celebrations and if songs with obscene lyrics are played, we will ask the organisers to stop it. It’s not moral policing but an initiative to maintain the festival’s spirit,” Komar told TOI. The police said that they will take legal action only if any song or dialogues stoking communal tensions are played by the DJs.When asked if the cops have drawn any list of obscene or objectionable songs, Komar said that they have not zeroed in on such numbers but the team on the spot will take the decision. The warning comes with some history as provocative DJ music had fuelled communal tensions and stone-pelting during the Ganesh festivals in the city in the past.Over a decade ago, the police had taken a unique initiative to prevent communal tensions during Ganesh processions in sensitive areas. The cops had installed their own loudspeakers that played devotional and patriotic songs to drown out the sound of provocative songs played by the DJs. The police also seize music systems if the DJs flout the rules and play songs loudly till late in the night.
