Since the Kanwar Yatra began on Monday, July 22, several incidents have been reported where Kanwariyas engaged in violence and vandalism.

In one of the recent incidents reported from a Kanwar camp at Meenakshi Chowk in UP's Muzaffarnagar, a mob of Kanwariyas brutally beat up a mentally ill person for allegedly waving a stick at them on Wednesday.

The timely intervention of the police saved the man's life. A video of the incident has emerged on social media.

"A mentally ill person had reached the Kanwar camp at Meenakshi Chowk. He had a stick in his hand and waved it toward a Kanwariya. In response, the Kanwariyas beat him up, and when he ran away, the other Kanwariyas chased him," said Muzaffarnagar SP Satyanarayan Prajapati.

"The police present at the scene confronted the Kanwariyas who were beating him and saved the person. The victim was given first aid and has been kept under observation. The situation is under control. Further action is underway," he added.

After the video of the incident went viral on social media, many users criticised the unruly behaviour of Kanwarias. Some users even commended the bravery displayed by the police officers in their efforts to save the man's life.

"The lawlessness in Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh has peaked to an obnoxious order altogether. This video shows a mob of Kanwariyas flogging and assaulting a specially-abled man over the latter allegedly waving a stick. It took a cop with the spine to disperse the mob and save the life of the victim," wrote a user.
On Tuesday, it was reported that a group of Kanwarias resorted to vandalism in UP's Saharanpur. According to reports, Kanwariyas created a massive ruckus after their sacred Kanwar was allegedly broken in an accident on the Saharanpur-Dehradun highway. First, a bike rider was brutally assaulted, and then his motorcycle was destroyed. Video of the incident has gone viral.