UP Police summons six over identity verification of eatery owners on Kanwar Yatra route

Muzaffarnagar (UP): Police have summoned six activists associated with Swami Yashveer Maharaj for conducting unauthorised verification of the identities of eatery owners along the Kanwar Yatra route, officials said on Wednesday.

This comes after a video surfaced on social media on Tuesday showing some individuals allegedly misbehaving with the staff of a dhaba located along the Kanwar Yatra route.

Swami Yashveer runs the Yoga Sadhana Yashveer Ashram in Baghra here which has conducted "ghar wapsi" (reconversion to Hinduism) ceremonies for multiple Muslim families.

New Mandi Station House Officer Dinesh Chand Bhagal said six activists have been directed to appear at the police station within three days for questioning regarding their alleged involvement in checking identity documents of owners of eateries located along the Kanwar Yatra route without permission from the district administration.

"More notices are likely to be issued to other individuals seen in the video. We are taking this matter seriously and all legal angles are being examined," he said.

The six who have been called for questioning have been identified as Sumit Bahraghi, Rohit, Vivek, Sumit, Sunny and Rakesh. All of them are associated with Swami Yashveer's ashram in Baghra, police said.

According to locals, Swami Yashveer on Sunday launched a drive to check the background of owners of eateries located on the Kanwar Yatra route, claiming it was necessary for the safety of pilgrims.

The Kanwar Yatra is an annual pilgrimage undertaken by Lord Shiva's devotees, known as kanwars or kanwariyas, who fetch holy water from the Ganga river during the auspicious Hindu month of Shravan. This holy water is then offered to Lord Shiva.