Kanwarias go on the rampage again; ransack shops, vehicles in UP and Uttarakhand

Lucknow: Reports of ‘kanwarias’ (devotees carrying pitchers filled with sacred Ganga waters to be offered at Shiva temple during the Hindu month of Shravana) going on the rampage on the kanwar routes in Uttar Pradesh and the neighboring Uttarakhand over minor incidents have been pouring unabated since the kanwar yatra began a few days back.

The ‘kanwarias’, who travel in groups, often create ruckus over minor incidents and thrash people often inflicting serious injuries.

A few days back, a group of kanwarias ransacked a roadside eatery in Muzaffarnagar district after a piece of onion was allegedly found in the meal of one of them. The kanwarias not only ransacked the eatery but they also assaulted the staff and allegedly looted cash and beverages. No arrest has been made in the matter so far.

In another incident, the kanwarias ransacked another roadside eatery in Muzaffarnagar after, according to them, it turned out that the owner was a Muslim.

In Muzaffarnagar town, the kanwarias damaged a motorbike near Shiv Chowk after it hit one of them.

In another incident, a kanwaria, who was in an inebriated state, barged into the house of a Muslim in Muzaffarnagar district and created a ruckus there. The police later arrested him and sent him to jail.

In Ghaziabad, a group of kanwarias damaged a vehicle after it accidentally brushed the kanwar of a devotee.

In Uttarakhand’s Roorkee and Haridwar towns also incidents of kanwarias assaulting drivers and damaging vehicles after minor accidents have been reported.

A Haryana resident was assaulted with sticks and sharp weapons in Roorkee a few days back after his car brushed against a kanwariya. He could be rescued only after a police team reached the spot later.

Similarly a revenue official was attacked with hockey sticks in Haridwar when he tried to pass through a crowd of kanwarias who had blocked his way with his SUV. They damaged his vehicle and thrashed him resulting in a fracture, the reports said.

Police have lodged cases in both the incidents. The police invoked stringent sections of the BNS in the Hardware incident and booked the kanwarias for attempted murder.

Police officials have asked the kanwarias not to carry sticks during their journey and also warned them of stern action if they indulged in violence.