As shattered glass along a stretch of the Kanwar Yatra route in Delhi's Shahdara sparked concerns, the police on Sunday detained an e-rickshaw driver after finding that glass panels being transported on his vehicle broke and scattered along the path.
The e-rickshaw was carrying 19 glass panels from Shalimar Garden in Uttar Pradesh to Seelampur in Delhi when it was allegedly hit from behind, leading to the panels breaking and falling on the road between Chintamani Chowk and Jhilmil Metro Station, news agency PTI quoted police as saying.
Delhi cabinet minister Kapil Mishra had posted on X, raising concerns over glass on the Kanwar route and had assured of action.
"Some miscreants in Delhi’s Shahdara scattered glass pieces on the Kanwar yatra route for about a kilometre. PWD and corporation employees are clearing the road. Local MLA Sanjay Goyal is present at the spot and CM Rekha Gupta has also taken cognisance," he had said.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva also alleged that the incident is a "pre-planned conspiracy" to disturb communal harmony and is a work of "anti-social" elements.
{{/usCountry}}Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva also alleged that the incident is a "pre-planned conspiracy" to disturb communal harmony and is a work of "anti-social" elements.
{{/usCountry}}Police teams were deployed in the area to patrol and inspect roads near the flyover and Kanwar camps.
E-rickshaw driver held
The e-rickshaw driver, identified as Kusum Pal, from Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad, was detained for questioning. His route is being verified and CCTV footage is being examined, police said on Sunday.
According to an official statement, the matter first came to light on July 12 when the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) of Seemapuri shared a video that showed the broken glass on the route.
The video, however, had been recorded earlier on June 10 and was uploaded by a local, Piyush, who was informed about it by his friend Montu.
After the incident came to light assistant commissioner of police (ACP), Seemapuri, inspected the stretch and found only a few shards remaining.
Sanitation workers belonging to the municipal corporation of delhi (MCD) told police that the area had already been cleaned earlier that morning, the PTI report said.
Later that night, the public works department (PWD) also alerted police through a PCR call made by a junior engineer.
Based on his statement, an FIR was registered on Sunday at Seemapuri police station under sections 125 (act of endangering human life or personal safety due to rash or negligent conduct) and 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.