India
The Uttarakhand government, in a letter to States, has said that Kanwariyas carry drugs, knives, baseball bats, hockey sticks, etc to use them as weapons besides causing fatalities in road accidents with rash driving of vehicles, whereas Uttar Pradesh police had to delete a tweet out of sheer embarrassment after claiming that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had deputed an officer to felicitate Kanwariyas
New Delhi: While officers of Uttar Pradesh Police are busy showering rose petals on Kanwariyas, Uttarakhand has warned all neighbouring States of a major law-and-order situation that these pilgrims could create.
The Uttarakhand government, in a letter to States that witness this pilgrimage, has said that Kanwariyas carry drugs, knives, baseball bats, hockey sticks, etc to use them as weapons. Uttarakhand has further said in its communiqué that Kanwariyas are increasingly causing fatalities in road accidents with rash driving of vehicles.
The Uttarakhand government has claimed that Kanwariyas fight with shopkeepers and local people, too, which become a major law-and-order issue.
According to a letter written by Secretary (Home), Anand Vardhan, Uttarakhand government, about 3 crore 70 lakh Kanwariyas had reached Haridwar last year and this year it is expected that more Kanwariyas would participate in the Kanwar Yatra.
“Kanwariyas carry Hockey, Trishul, Cricket bat, baseball bat etc so that these can be used as weapon in case of any altercation. Some Kanwariyas also take drugs which is a major challenge for local police. They also fight with local shopkeepers and public,” Vardhan said in his letter.
The letter was written as a warning to stop, frisk and educate Kanwariyas so that they don’t get involved in illegal activities. The letter also said that Kanwariyas’ vehicles cause accidents as sometimes they drive rash.
“Kanwariyas in small and big groups in tractors, trolleys, trucks, etc reach Haridwar. To travel in the minimum possible time, they drive rash, which causes road accidents. Their vehicles are equipped with big sound systems, which increase the chances of fatal accidents, too,” Vardhan said.
The Uttarakhand home secretary has asked other State governments to stop such gangs of Kanwariyas, expressing Uttarakhand Police’s incapability to handle crores of Kanwariyas in the State.
The Uttar Pradesh Police on Tuesday tweeted a video of ADG (Meerut Zone) Prashant Kumar, showing an officer during his duty hours showering petals on Kanwariyas. He was officially assigned by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the tweet said. After the tweet become a major embarrassment for Uttar Pradesh police, the cops deleted the video.
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