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We have to keep in mind that where there is enthusiasm and excitement, where there is faith and devotion, some elements are constantly trying to disturb that enthusiasm and to defame this devotion and faith, says Yogi Adityanath
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday (July 20, 2025) said some people are trying to defame the kanwar yatra on social media and urged every ‘kanwar sangh’ to expose the malcontents.
“We have to keep in mind that where there is enthusiasm and excitement, where there is faith and devotion, some elements are constantly trying to disturb that enthusiasm and to defame this devotion and faith,” Mr. Adityanath said at an event here.
Mr. Adityanath claimed “miscreants” who infiltrate kanwar groups bring them bad names.
“Unmask them, keep them away from you at all costs. Do not allow them to enter your circle. Immediately inform the administration about this,” he said.
Mr. Adityanath said there is administration to take legal action if any such “miscreant” desecrates the kanwar, and urged people not to take into their hands.
“During the entire period, many troublemakers have resorted to defame this holy pilgrimage. We have CCTV footage of all of them. We are going to paste their posters after this (kanwar yatra) is over. We are going to take very strict action against them,” he said.
Mr. Adityanath alleged that before 2017, the year he came to power, the governments in UP did not allow these holy pilgrimages to happen and created obstacles in their path.
“But, today there are governments that respect your devotion. So it is our responsibility to take it forward with the same sacred sentiment,” he said.
He also urged the kanwariyas to join in cleanliness programmes, and strive to not let any river, intersection, or road become dirty.
On Friday too, Mr. Adityanath had said that efforts were being made to defame kanwar pilgrims and they are being termed “terrorists and rioters.” Three kanwariyas were arrested for allegedly assaulting a CRPF jawan following an argument over train tickets at the Mirzapur railway station here, an official said on Sunday.
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan was going to catch the Brahmaputra Express, while the kanwariyas (devotees of Lord Shiva) also wanted to buy tickets for the same train for going to Baidyanath Dham in Jharkhand.
An argument broke out between them over purchasing the tickets.
Meanwhile, Mr. Adityanath showered flowers on the kanwariyas from a stage built near Dulhera Chowki in Meerut’s Modipuram area.
Rajya Sabha MP Laxmikant Bajpai and UP’s Minister of State Somendra Tomar shared the stage with him.
Two kawariyas were killed and eight others seriously injured in two separate road accidents on the Delhi-Haridwar National Highway in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar district, police said on Sunday.
A kawariya identified as Abhishek (28), a resident of Kairana, died and four others were injured after two motorcycles collided near Barla bridge under Chhapar police station late on Saturday (July 19, 2025) night, they said.
The accident occurred when Abhishek and his friend Manish Kataria were en route to Haridwar from Kairana to collect water from the Ganga River.
In a separate incident, another kawariya identified as Anil (23) died and four others were injured after a collision between two motorcycles near the Saleempur bypass.
SHO Jaivir Singh said Anil and his friend Ghanshyam were heading to Haridwar from Noida to collect Ganga water when their bike collided with another motorcycle.
In Ghaziabad, a speeding ambulance collided head-on with a motorcycle and a scooty, leaving three kanwariyas dead and another injured, police said on Sunday.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Rural, Surendra Nath Tiwari said the accident occurred in front of a restaurant on the Delhi-Meerut Road near Kadrabra at around 11.45 p.m. on Saturday.
The four kanwariyas were going to Haridwar while the ambulance was coming from the opposite direction after dropping a patient at a hospital in Meerut.
Tiwari said the deceased have been identified as Ritik (23), Abhinav (25) and Sachin (38), all residents of Ghaziabad. The injured person has been identified as Ajay (30).
The ambulance has been seized and the driver has been arrested.
Anti-sabotage teams have intensified the checking of commuters and belongings at the Bhurahedi checkpost on the Delhi-Dehradun National Highway limits to prevent any untoward incident during the ongoing Kanwar Yatra, the officials said.
The police said the number of Kanwar pilgrims has significantly increased on the Delhi-Dehradun highway and the Ganga Canal road.
In Uttarakhand’s New Tehri, 14 kanwariyas were injured while returning from Gangotri when their truck overturned, the police said.
According to police, the kanwariyas had come from Haryana and were returning after collecting Ganga water.
The accident occurred near Vaildhar on the Rishikesh-Gangotri National Highway. Four of the injured were in critical condition, Chham Police Station Head Sukhpal Maan said.
In Odisha, a pick-up van collided with an autorickshaw carrying kanwariyas on Sunday morning near Darapada in Nayagarh district. A female kanwariya died, and six others were injured in the accident. The kanwariyas were travelling from Kantilo to Ladubaba temple, the police said.
“Seven persons injured in the autorickshaw accident have been admitted to our hospital. Of which one died while six seriously injured persons have been referred to Bhubaneswar,” said a doctor of Nayagarh district headquarters hospital.
Meanwhile, in U.P.’s Meerut, some women volunteers have accused three policemen of indecent behaviour at a kanwar seva camp on the Ganga Canal bridge in Sardhana area, a police officer said on Sunday.
Article source: thehindu.com