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10,000 security personnel to manage Kanwar yatra security: Uttarakhand DGP
Uttarakhand police chief Ashok Kumar said most pilgrims were pious people who come on a spiritual journey, and only a few indulge in “hooliganism”.
Dehradun: Uttarakhand police chief Ashok Kumar on Monday said around 10,000 security personnel, including home guards, will be deployed for maintenance of law and order and management of traffic movement during the Kanwar yatra, which sees millions of people travel through several states by foot to the holy town of Haridwar. The state government expects about 40 million people to come to Haridwar during the fortnight-long pilgrimage.
Kumar, however, warned that it will not tolerate hooliganism during the pilgrimage and added that DJ sets, which create noise pollution, will not be allowed during the yatra.
“If you are coming for pilgrimage and to seek God’s blessings, we will welcome you, but if you indulge in hooliganism, misbehaviour, nuisance, public drinking and violence, strictest action will be taken. We will remain on our toes and take every action possible to maintain the dignity of the pilgrimage site,” he told reporters after chairing an inter-state coordination meeting with senior police officers of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi and other security and intelligence agencies for effective management of the influx of devotees.
CCTVs and drone cameras will also be used for effective surveillance, he said.
The Uttarakhand police chief said most pilgrims were pious people who come on a spiritual journey, and only a few indulge in “hooliganism”.
The yatra, scheduled to be held from July 14 to July 26 this year, is an annual pilgrimage of Shiva devotees -- known as Kanwariyas -- to Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand to fetch the water of the Ganga and carry it back to local temples. Devotees come from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh to Uttarakhand.
The last Kanwar yatra was held in 2019 and roughly 30 million pilgrims reached Haridwar, as per official records.
