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Non-Hindus to be banned from entering Gangotri Dham, Haridwar ghats in Uttarakhand: Temple committee
Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee chairman said a proposal is being sent to ban non-Hindus from entering those dhams as well
Non-Hindus will be prohibited from entering the Gangotri Dham in Uttarakhand, following a decision taken unanimously during a meeting of the Shri Gangotri Temple Committee held on Sunday. Further, a proposal will be presented to ban non-Hindus from Badrinath and Kedarnath Dham and all temples under the committee, news agency ANI reported on Monday.
As per the decision, non-Hindus will be banned from Gangotri Dham, including Mukhba, which is considered the winter residence of the deity, te report added.
Meanwhile, Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee Chairman Hemant Dwivedi informed ANI that a proposal is being sent to ban non-Hindus from entering Badrinath and Kedarnath dhams and all temples under the committee. This proposal will be presented at the upcoming board meeting, he said.
No non-Hindus on ghats of Haridwar?
Further, the government of Uttarakhand is also considering banning the entry of non-Hindus from the ghats of Haridwar. Haridwar, which is spread across an area of 120 sq km, has 105 ghats and is considered a holy Hindu town.
This is being done in response to requests from certain seers and the Ganga Sabha, the authority responsible for the upkeep of the prominent Har-ki-Pauri ghat, the report said.
Additionally, the state is also planning to identify Haridwar and Rishikesh as “Sanatan Pavitra Shehar”, meaning sacred cities.
Also read: Snowfall disrupts life, 200 people rescued along Uttarakhand’s Yamunotri highway | India News
CM Dhami says all stakeholders will be considered
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that the Uttarakhand government will “consider the view of all stakeholders” along with reviewing laws related to religious sites.
He said that since these are religious sites, the people who visit and manage these places, including members of pilgrimage committees, and everyone else involved in managing these sites, will have their opinions and views considered.
Former Uttarakhand CM and Congress leader Harish Rawat criticised the state government, alleging that the BJP government had no issues left on its agenda. "Perhaps, there are no issues left on their election agenda. So, new agendas are being invented," ANI quoted Rawat as saying.
Also read: Uttarakhand: Century-old Muslim shrine vandalised in Mussoorie, no arrests yet | India News
Last year in March, BJP MLA Asha Nautiyal from the Kedarnath assembly constituency demanded that "non-Hindu people be banned" from entering the temple premises.
She said that there have been incidents in which people may malign the image of Kedarnath Dham. She alleged that these people are"non-Hindus" who come to defame the temple.
Non-Hindus are among people who depend on tourism to these sites for their livelihood.
