Kanwariya killed in road accident in UP's Muzaffarnagar

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One kanwariya was killed and another seriously injured when a car hit their scooter in Uttar Pradesh's Muzzafarnagar district on Tuesday, police said.

The accident occurred on the Delhi-Haridwar National Highway near Nawala Kothi village under the Mansurpur police station limits, they said.

Mohit (20) and Yogesh (21), kanwariyas from Paharganj in Delhi, were headed for Haridwar to collect water from the river Ganga, Mansurpur SHO Sanjiv Kumar said. He said Mohit died on the spot, while Yogesh was undergoing treatment at a hospital.

Meanwhile, security has been tightened and proper traffic arrangements have been made by the authorities to ensure a smooth conduct of the yatra, an official said. 

Muzaffarnagar District Magistrate Selva Kumari J told reporters here that the yatra route has been divided into 80 sectors and an officer posted in each sector.

She said a traffic diversion plan has also been prepared and traffic from the national highway would be diverted to alternate routes.

All schools and colleges in the district will remain closed from July 24-30 in view of the Kanwar yatra, the district magistrate said.

Kanwar Yatra is an annual pilgrimage of Lord Shiva's devotees, known as 'kanwariyas', who visit Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand and Sultanganj in Bihar to fetch water of the river Ganga during the Hindu month of Shravan. This year, the yatra began on July 17.