LUCKNOW: Buckling under the pressure of outrage following the order asking hotels, dhabas, eateries and other shops falling on the route of the Kanwar Yatra to display the names of the proprietors and shopkeepers in Muzaffarnagar, the district police on Thursday issued a reviewed order leaving it to the “free will” of shopkeepers and eatery owners to display their names on their establishments. However, the Muzaffarnagar police denied that its direction was intended to discriminate against people along religious lines. The Muzaffarnagar and the Saharanpur police authorities had released the order on Wednesday, asking hotels, dhabas and other shops that sell food along the Kanwar Yatra route in the district to display the names of their owners and employees to prevent any confusion among devotees. Muzaffarnagar superintendent of police Abhishek Singh had said the state government also asked food carts and stands to comply. He said the reason for the decision was to ensure that the Kanwariyas did not get confused and so that “no situation arises where there are allegations and recriminations turning into a law and order situation.”The Kanwar Yatra is an annual affair undertaken by the devotees of Lord Shiva in the month of ‘Shravan,’ wherein they travel to Uttarakhand on foot to collect water from the river Ganga and then offer it to various temples of Lord Shiva.

Source: Indian Express July 18, 2024 23:27 UTC