Muzaffarnagar. There is a ruckus in Uttar Pradesh regarding the Kanwar Yatra, first on the administration’s order and now on the government’s order. The Yogi Adityanath government issued an order on Friday that all the restaurants located on the Kanwar Yatra route will have to write the names of their owners. This order will be applicable in the entire state, although before this the Muzaffarnagar administration had issued such an order for the district. Following the footsteps of CM Yogi, the Dhami government of Uttarakhand has implemented such rules.
In the order of the Muzaffarnagar administration, hotels, dhabas and roadside eateries located on the Kanwar Yatra route were asked to display the names, addresses and mobile phone numbers of their owners. Speaking to reporters, SSP Abhishek Singh said, “The order has been made to ensure that there is no confusion among the Kanwariyas and no law and order situation arises. Everyone is voluntarily following it.”
Opposition angry at the government
The order has been criticised by opposition parties, who say it targets Muslim traders. News18’s team visited some of the prominent dhabas on the Kanwar Yatra route to find out how the dhaba owners and employees reacted to the order. Our first stop was ‘Delhi Dhaba’ on the Muzaffarnagar-Haridwar highway. The dhaba owner said that they had displayed not only the owner’s name but also the names of all the employees working there and their phone numbers. All the names displayed were of Hindus.
What did he say about removing Muslim staff?
News18’s team’s second stop was ‘Shiva Tourist Dhaba’. All the employees working at the dhaba were Hindus. When asked if he had employed any Muslim workers at the dhaba, the owner said that four Muslim staff used to work, but they were either sent on leave or fired. He was ordered by the administration/police to remove Muslim employees, although the police are denying any such thing.
What did the Muslim owner say?
Next up on News18 was Veer Ji Da Dhaba. Its Muslim owner Ibrar expressed happiness over the directive. He believes it is up to the customers to decide where they want to eat and where not. His dhaba employs seven Muslims and nine Hindus. He told News18, “I will shut down the dhaba for a few days and go on leave as business is going to remain slow for now.”
What did the Kanwar pilgrims say?
When Kanwar pilgrims were spoken to, some expressed happiness with the government’s order while some did not care. Most pilgrims said they were happy with the decision while some others said it did not matter where they eat as devotion comes first, however, one issue that everyone said should be addressed is the alleged hike in prices by dhaba owners during the yatra season.
Tags: CM Yogi, Kanwar Yatra, Uttar pradesh news
FIRST PUBLISHED : July 20, 2024, 12:30 IST