Sign In
By signing in or creating an account, you agree with Associated Broadcasting Company's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
By signing in or creating an account, you agree with Associated Broadcasting Company's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh Police has banned kanwariyas from carrying sticks, tridents (trishuls), hockey sticks and other such similar items. The order came amidst the ongoing Kanwar Yatra during the holy month of 'sawan'. The ban is to be implemented across the districts of Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Shamli, Saharanpur, Bulandshahr, Hapur and Baghpat, reported the Times of India.
The move comes after several incidents of vandalism and harassment involving kanwariyas were reported from UP and Uttarakhand. The kanwariyas travel to Haridwar to collect holy water of the Ganga and bring it back to their homes and use it to worship Lord Shiva at the nearest temple.
Apart from banning trishuls and hockey sticks, the police have also banned motorcycles without silencers for the kanwariyas. This has been done to curb the noise pollution, said officials.
The officials have made it clear that display of weapons, like trishul or other such items will not be tolerated. ADG (Meerut Zone) was quoted by Times of India as saying, "The government has issued clear directives prohibiting it. We are enforcing these strictly and FIRs are being registered against violators."
The ban comes amidst several incidents of kanwariya being involved in scuffles and fights along the kanwar route, this year. In one incident reported from Meerut, a group of kanwariyas were seen brandishing swords during the yatra. In another incident reported from Mirzapur in UP, a group of kanwariyas were seen assaulting a CRPF jawan at a railway station.
Numerous such incidents have been reported from across UP. Another incident which comes to mind is kanwariyas vandalising a school bus, after it accidentally grazed their vehicle.
Now after the crackdown by the police, the public is hoping that things will improve. The UP police have so far seized 24 noisy bikes and fined 60 riders for lacking silencers in Muzaffarnagar alone.
