Muzaffarnagar police order shouldn’t create communal divide. Review it: JD (U)
The annual Kanwar Yatra is set to be begin from July 22 from Haridwar and will continue till August 2
PATNA: The Janata Dal (United), a key coalition partner of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre, on Thursday asked the Uttar Pradesh government to review the controversial order by the Muzaffarnagar police that asked eateries along the 240-km route of the Kanwar Yatra to display the names of owners.
“I feel the police does have a duty to identify anti-social elements. But any order should not create a communal divide. The order should be reviewed,” senior Janata Dal (United) leader KC Tyagi said on Thursday.
“I come from a part of Muzaffarnagar. I know the area well. The Muslims in the area have always actively participated in extending their cooperation to kanwariyas,” Tyagi, who is also the party spokesperson, said.
The annual pilgrimage from July 22 to August 2 involves Shiva worshippers undertake a trek, mostly on foot, to collect water from the Ganga and offer it in Shiva temples across states.
Muzzaffarnagar senior superintendent of police Abhishek Singh had announced the decision: “Kanwarias buy food from roadside eateries and the order has been issued to avoid any confusion, so that no allegations and counter-allegations are made, and no law-and-order situation arises later.”
The order triggered sharp reactions from the opposition parties and many others who alleged that it was designed to target Muslims.
Bajuhan Samaj Party chief Mayawati said it sets a wrong precedent and could hurt the law and order situation.
Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said the police order was a “social crime” and asked courts to take suo motu cognisance of the directive.
In a post on X, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi said: ‘Now every restaurant owner will have to display the owner’s name so that kanwariyas do not eat from a muslim vendor by mistake. This was called apartheid in South Africa and ‘Juden boycott’ in Hitler’s Germany”.
Asked about the police move, BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi said: “This is an administrative issue. It can be an issue of security… But there is one thing I have not figured out. Why do our opponents always stand with those who want to hide their identity”.
On Thursday, the Muzaffarnagar police issued a fresh statement, suggesting that “dhabas and shopkeepers selling food items on Kanwar Marg have been requested to voluntarily display the names of their owners and employees” and that this request was made in the past as well.