Ahead of the 'Kanwar Yatra' starting July 22, the Uttar Pradesh government on Friday ordered all eateries located on the 'Kanwar Yatra' routes throughout the state to display the names of their owners. This order will also be implemented for all tea stalls, dhabas and fruit carts. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the decision has been taken to "preserve the sanctity of Kanwar pilgrims". During the holy month of Shrawan, lakhs of Shiva devotees walk on foot carrying pots to collect Ganga water for offering them at their local temples. They abstain from consuming even onion and garlic, apart from non-veg food items. In Uttarakhand, the SSP of Haridwar police Pramod Singh Dobhal said, "All those who run hotels, dhabas or street food stalls have been directed to display their proprietors' names, QR codes and mobile numbers at their establishments." He threatened punitive action against those who fail to comply, saying their stalls would be removed from the Kanwar Yatra routes.
The name display order, originally issued by Muzaffarnagar police, clearly says that all eateries, dhabas, hotels and fruit sellers must display the names of their owners in large letters so that Kanwar devotees can decide where to have their refreshments. Nearly 240 km of the Kanwar Yatra route falls within the Muzaffarnagar district. Police officials say that this order will help in removing confusion from the minds of Kanwar Yatra devotees about the eateries where they normally stop to have food. The UP government's order has been opposed by the Samajwadi Party, BSP, All India Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen and Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind. Jamiat state chief Maulana Qari Zakir alleged that the BJP was deliberately trying to create tension. He said that Kanwar Yatras have been going on in UP for centuries, and such an order for eateries was never issued by any government. He said, such an order will definitely create an abyss between the two communities.
Saharanpur divisional police DIG Ajay Kumar Sahni said that every year during Kanwar Yatra, there are quarrels at eateries when the devotees find that the owner is a Muslim. "This order has been issued to remove all confusion", he said. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi went to the extent of saying that "the soul of Hitler seems to have entered Yogi's body". Owaisi said the Yogi government was trying to deprive Muslim shopkeepers of their daily earnings. BSP supremo Mayawati described the order as unjustified and said, this would create a wrong precedent, which would go against social unity. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav demanded that the courts must take suo moto cognizance, since the police order, he said, "is a social crime, aimed at vitiating social atmosphere".
BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said, there should be no objection to such an order, and eatery owners should not conceal their names for the benefit of customers. One must understand why UP and Uttarakhand police issued such orders during Kanwar Yatra. During the holy month of Shrawan, lakhs of Shiva devotees avoid eateries which sell non-veg food. They do not consume food at eateries, which they feel can spoil the sanctity of their penance. The problem faced by police is that often during Kanwar Yatras, quarrels take place when it is found that the owner of an eatery is a Muslim and the customer is a Shiva devotee, who has been walking on foot for hundreds of miles. One must not doubt the motive of the police.
Police officials say that quarrels can easily be avoided if owners of eateries display their names in bold letters, so that the devotee can make a conscious choice on where to eat, and which eatery to avoid. The problem with Muslim shopkeepers is that they feel their earnings would take a hit, if their names are prominently displayed and if devotees, in thousands, start avoiding their tea stalls and eateries. Though UP police has made it clear that this order about the display of names of owners shall remain in force till the Kanwar Yatra is over, politicians from opposition parties are trying to score brownie points. I personally feel that it would be better for all sides not to stoke this controversy, otherwise it can cause harm to social unity.
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