Spl Security Preps, Swords Barred for Kanwariyas: As Kanwar Yatra Begins, a Look at Attempts to Give it Bad Name

It is that time of the year when the highways to Uttarakhand’s Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri and Bihar’s Sultanganj are, quite literally, painted saffron with lakhs of Shiva devotees — Kanwariyas — walking on foot in saffron attire to the annual pilgrimage known as ‘Kanwar Yatra’ with much pomp and show.

The Kanwar Yatra this year, that begins today, is taking place in its full glory after a gap of two years that was necessitated by the Covid-19 outbreak in the country and elaborate security arrangements are being put in place to ensure that the pilgrimage is conducted without any hurdles and law & order situation.

The Delhi-Dehradun National Highway 58 (NH-58), which goes to Haridwar, is the main artery used by lakhs of Kanwariyas who walk on foot for hundreds of kilometres from their hometowns to the holy city to fetch water from the Ganges to offer the water at Shiva temples back home.

Swords, tridents, and sticks have been banned in the Kanwar Yatra in Uttarakhand. Dehradun SSP said instructions have been given to all the police stations and outpost in-charges to seize them on the borders of the district itself.

While the Kanwar Yatra is an extremely significant pilgrimage for the Shiva devotees, this time of the year is not something that the daily commuters wait for, primarily for two reasons: The road closures and the incidents of hooliganism and violence that are reported almost every year during the pilgrimage.

Special treatment for Kanwariyas

While the states involved in the Kanwar Yatra ensure elaborate security arrangements, the soft hand with which police deals with the devotees to ensure a hassle-free pilgrimage for them is often misused by some Kanwariyas.

However, what makes matters worse is police and local administration giving the Kanwariyas a ‘VVIP treatment’ becoming a common affair.

In 2019, when the Kanwar Yatra was last held without restrictions, the Gautam Buddh Nagar district administration had issued a diktat exempting the Kanwariyas from the ‘no helmet no fuel’ rule in the region.

In the same year, district administration officers in Uttar Pradesh were instructed to shower flower petals from helicopters on Kanwariyas.

In 2018, Prashant Kumar, who was then ADG (Meerut Zone), actually took to the skies to supervise the Kanwar Yatra and showered petals on Kanwariyas. In another incident of special treatment given to Kanwariyas, a police officer in UP’s Shamli district was seen massaging the feet of a Kanwariya.

Incidents of hooliganism

-Car vandalised in Delhi’s Moti Nagar as it brushes a Kanwariya

After several incidents of violence and hooliganism, locals prefer to maintain distance from the Kanwariyas to avoid any untoward clash with then during their pilgrimage. In a shocking incident reported in August 2018, a group of Kanwariyas had vandalised a car that was being driven by a woman and had brushed past one of the devotees on a congested road in Delhi’s Moti Nagar.

Violence broke out soon after the incident. The male male companion with the woman was reported to have slapped one of the pilgrims during the heated argument that followed. The pilgrims subsequently vandalised the car.

The video of the incident, captured by a CCTV camera installed at a shop, showed the kanwariyas shattering the car’s windshields, windows and headlights with baseball bats even as a policeman tried hard to stop them. The rampage came to a halt only after the unidentified miscreants overturned the car in the middle of the road.

-Kanwariyas vandalise car in Muzaffarnagar

Two days after the Moti Nagar incident, a group of Kanwariyas vandalised a car and smashed it after the vehicle brushed passed them on a crowded road in UP’s Muzaffarnagar.

This incident, too, was caught on camera.

The passengers sitting in the car got off safely. No injuries were reported. According to the police, the victims did not file any formal complaint against the Kanwariyas.

-Kanwariyas ransack police van

In another incident from 2018, some Kanwariyas were caught on camera attacking a UP Police Dial 100 vehicle in Bulandshahr’s Bugrasi area.

As per video of the incident that went viral, the Kanwariyas charged and attacked the police vehicle and even chased it after the fleeing police officials.

-Kanwariyas torch vehicle in Rajasthan

A group of Kanwariyas went torched a vehicle at a village in Rajasthan in 2018 after they reportedly got involved in a scuffle with the local youth of the minority community in the Malpura region.

The Kanwariyas allegedly torched a vehicle and vandalised a bus. Fourteen Kanwariyas were reportedly injured in the incident.

Security arrangements this year

-Meat shops on Kanwar route to remain shut in up

The Uttar Pradesh and Delhi governments have put up elaborate security arrangements to ensure the Kanwar Yatra is conducted in a smooth manner this year.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, at a recent meeting, directed officials to clear the roads taken by the Kanwar yatris and to prohibit sale of meat in the open along them, besides making arrangements for lighting, sanitation and first-aid.

Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi said, “All efforts are being made to ensure that Kanwar Yatra is held in a safe and peaceful manner across the state while adhering to the directions given by the chief minister.” Senior Superintendent of Police, Bareilly, Satyarth Aniruddha Pankaj said, “We have reached out to meat traders and asked them to ensure that no sale of meat takes place in the open. The traders have assured us of the same.” Superintendent of Police, Bijnor, Dinesh Singh said he has also made similar appeals to meat traders who have assured that no sale of meat will take place along the route taken by the Kanwariyas.

District officials across the state have started the work to repair the roads demarcated for the Kanwar Yatra. Surendra Singh, divisional commissioner of Meerut, which sees the maximum movement of Kanwars, said, “I held a meeting with district magistrates of all districts of the division recently. The work to make arrangements for Kanwar yatra is in full swing.” “The officials are ironing out minor details, including arrangements for proper sanitation along the route, security arrangements and installation of CCTV cameras at important places,” he added.

-Muzzafarnagar admin ups security

Authorities in Muzaffarnagar have made elaborate security arrangements for the upcoming Kanwar Yatra, officials said on Thursday. A huge influx of kanwariyas is being anticipated this time owing to the two-year break.

The district has been divided into 80 sectors and over 5,000 police and paramilitary personnel will be deployed to prevent any untoward incident during the yatra, Senior Superintendent of Police, Vineet Jaiswal told reporters. Senior police and administration officers from neighbouring districts of Muzaffarnagar as well as Haridwar held a joint meeting on Wednesday and discussed the traffic diversion plan for the yatra.

It was also decided in the meeting that was held in Haridwar that CCTV cameras will be installed at key points along the route of the yatra, they said.

-Delhi Police makind adequate security arrangements

The Delhi Police on Tuesday said that adequate security arrangements have been made ahead of the Kanwar Yatra. According to police, the special arrangement regarding security and traffic will be in place from July 14 to July 26. The traffic of Kanwariyas is expected to increase after July 21.

Preparations are being made. There are some particular routes which have been dedicated to the Kanwariyas.

A total of 338 camps are being put in place for Kanwariyas, a senior police officer said, urging the Kanwariyas to go through the channelizer (routes) dedicated for them. The motorists and road users should follow traffic rules and go through their dedicated road lanes, he said.

During this period of Kanwariyas movement, traffic violations will be checked with on-the-spot prosecution and by photography and videography of violations which will be followed by prosecution, the officer advised.

Traffic Diversions in Delhi, UP Police

For smooth flow of traffic during Kawar Yatra, a total of 1,925 Delhi Police personnel are being deployed for traffic regulation, more than 56 cranes and motorcycles are also deployed on main roads and stretches from where the pilgrims pass, a statement said.

If any devotee or member of public wants to know any information related to traffic, he may approach Delhi Traffic Police Facebook page, Twitter handle @DelhiTrafficPolice, Whatsapp number 8750871493 and helpline number 1095/011-25844444, it said.

The devotees carrying kanwars will pass through Apsara Border, Shahdara Flyover, Seelampur T’-Point, ISBT Flyover, Boulevard Road, Rani Jhansi Road, Faiz Road, Upper Ridge Road, Dhaula Kuan, NH-8 and exit from Rajokri Border for Haryana, the statement said. Wazirabad Road, Wazirabad Bridge, Outer Ring Road, Mukarba Chowk, NH-1 and exit from Singhu Border or Madhuban Chowk, Peeragarhi and exit from Tikri Border for Haryana are some of the other points where pilgrims congregate and commence their journey from.

Maharajpur Border, Road number 56, Ghazipur Border, NH24, Ring Road, Mathura Road and exit from Badarpur Border for Haryana etc also get thronged by the pilgrims during the yatra, it said. In addition to these important roads and intersections, Kanwariyas’ movement is observed in smaller numbers at several locations across Delhi.

Heavy transport vehicles will be diverted by the UP Police from Mohan Nagar towards NH-24 and no such traffic will be allowed towards Wazirabad road via Bhopra and/or towards GT Road via Apsara Border.

Heavy commercial transport vehicles, except city buses, coming from GT Karnal Road at Outer Ring Road will be diverted straight towards NH-24 and will not be allowed to move on Wazirabad Road and GT Road towards Shahdara. Traffic congestion is often observed during the yatra season due to constant marching of the pilgrims and resting camps that dot the roadside.

(With PTI inputs)

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