In yet another violence related to Kanwar Yatra pilgrims, Kanwariyas vandalised a school bus in Meerut after they alleged the vehicle touched one of their belongings.
The pilgrims completely damaged the windshield, attacking it with sticks and rods even as the bus driver was inside. A video of the same has emerged on social media platforms.
There have been several reports of violent incidents involving Kanwar Yatris targeting shops and vendors in Uttar Pradesh, particularly Muslim-owned. On July 3, a tempo driver was assaulted by Kanwar pilgrims after his vehicle collided with an auto carrying the devotees. The attack was so vicious that the driver collapsed on the ground. He was admitted to the hospital with broken legs.
A week ago, an eatery in Muzaffarnagar was attacked after onions were served in their food.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday, July 15, sought a response from the Uttar Pradesh government on a plea challenging the state’s directive mandating the display of QR codes on all eateries along the ‘kanwar’ yatra route, which reveal the names and identities of the owners.
A bench of Justices MM Sundresh and N Kotiswar Singh issued notice to the state government and posted the plea filed by academician Apoorvanand Jha and others on July 22.
The top court had last year stayed similar directives issued by BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Madhya Pradesh, asking eateries along the kanwar yatra routes to display the names of their owners, staff and other details.
Referring to a press release issued by the UP administration on June 25, Jha, said, “The new measures mandate the display of QR codes on all eateries along the kanwar route, which reveal the names and identities of the owners, thereby achieving the same discriminatory profiling that was previously stayed by this court.”
The petition said the state government’s directive asking stall owners to reveal religious and caste identities under “lawful license requirements” breaches the right to privacy of the shop, dhaba, and restaurant owners.
(With PTI inputs)
