Kanwariyas vandalise Swift car and beat up driver on Delhi Meerut Road; driver booked

ACP Rai said that diversions for light vehicles on the Delhi-Meerut Road will only take effect from July 17 and for now, police presence has been intensified to ensure a peaceful Kanwar Yatra

A group of Kanwariyas returning from Haridwar late on Tuesday night allegedly vandalised a car and assaulted its drunk driver in Modinagar, Ghaziabad, after the vehicle allegedly brushed past one of the pilgrims.

Despite the violence, police did not register any first information report (FIR) against the Kanwariyas. Sharma, however, was arrested under Section 170 (arrest to prevent commission of cognisable offences) of BNSS. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

The police identified the driver as 30-year-old Rajiv Sharma, a resident of Muradnagar. He was assaulted and his Maruti Suzuki Swift car was damaged by the Kanwariyas. While no pilgrim was injured in the incident, police said that Sharma was taken to a hospital where he was given medical aid, and his condition is stable.

Despite the violence, police did not register any first information report (FIR) against the Kanwariyas. Sharma, however, was arrested under Section 170 (arrest to prevent commission of cognisable offences) of BNSS. His medical examination confirmed he was under the influence of alcohol at the time.

Surendra Nath Tiwary, DCP of rural zone, said that additional sections may be added once investigation progresses.

“The incident occurred late Tuesday when the Kanwariyas were headed to Haryana after collecting water from Haridwar. It was alleged that the Swift brushed past one of them, triggering outrage among the group. They vandalised the car and beat the driver. Police intervened promptly. Sharma was found to be intoxicated in the medical exam. He is stable,” said Gyan Prakash Rai, ACP of the Modinagar circle. “The Kanwariyas were allowed to proceed on their journey.”

“Once investigation progresses, the police may register FIR after taking cognisance of the incident of thrashing of the car driver and damaging his car,” the DCP said.

ACP Rai added that diversions for light vehicles on the Delhi-Meerut Road will only take effect from July 17. For now, police presence has been intensified to ensure a peaceful Kanwar Yatra.

Sharma’s complete residential address was not disclosed, but Modinagar SHO Naresh Kumar confirmed that he works as staff at the Modinagar Tehsil. Sharma could not be reached for comment as his phone remained switched off.

One of the Kanwariyas involved in the confrontation, Harkesh Kumar from Mewat, Haryana, said: “We were carrying 81 litres and 11 litres of Ganga Jal in our Kanwars. The car hit two of us and sped away. We chased it for a kilometre and stopped it when it got stuck in traffic. The police then arrived and took the driver away.”

The annual Kanwar Yatra, which takes place during the Hindu calendar month of Shravana, sees thousands of devotees travel to Uttarakhand to collect Ganga water and return on foot to their hometowns. Their return journeys often pass through Haridwar, Roorkee, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Ghaziabad and Delhi.

To manage the large crowds and ensure security, police impose major traffic restrictions along the Delhi-Meerut corridor during the yatra. These measures last about two to three weeks each year.

Despite the heavy deployment, the annual event has seen a series of violent incidents in the past. On July 25 last year, a group of Kanwariyas assaulted a 30-year-old man near the Delhi-Meerut Road in Muradnagar after he objected to them sitting on a fence he was building. Two days later, on July 27, dozens of Kanwariyas assaulted the driver of a sedan on the same stretch of road, damaging the car with rods and sticks. On July 30, another group allegedly vandalised liquor shops in Sahibabad and fled before the police could intervene.

In Gurugram, on August 2, 2024, a massive brawl erupted between two groups of Kanwars in which at least 14 people were injured. On the same day, two pilgrims were killed after they crashed their motorcycle on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway near Noida’s Sector 58.