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Kanwar Yatra: Haridwar mosques, Mazar covered, then uncovered again, Congress slams BJP | India News

The sheets, hung on bamboo scaffolding in front of religious structures in the Jwalapur area, were met with shock and anger by mosque administrators, mazar administrators and local residents.

UP govt defends Kanwar Yatra guidelines

New Delhi: Huge white sheets covering the facades of two mosques and a mazar along the Kanwar Yatra route in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, have fuelled communal outrage and tension. The move, which was reversed after criticism from the opposition and leaders, was justified by the government as an attempt to “avoid complications”.

The sheets hanging from bamboo scaffolding in front of the religious structures in the Jwalapur area were met with shock and anger by mosque administrators, mazar caretakers and local residents. They insisted that they were not aware of any administrative order and claimed that no such step had been taken during previous yatras.

The senior police chief and district magistrate of Haridwar remained unavailable for comment, while minister Satpal Maharaj justified the decision by claiming that it was only to maintain peace: “Such a thing is done only to avoid trouble.”

However, the move drew immediate backlash. Congress leader and former minister Naeem Qureshi, who stressed the historic harmony between Hindus and Muslims in Haridwar, expressed outrage and said the move was unprecedented and deeply offensive. “We Muslims always welcome Shiv bhakts (devotees) to the Kanwar fair and arrange refreshments for them at various places. This is an example of Hindu-Muslim harmony in Haridwar and there has never been a tradition of curtains,” Qureshi was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

The district government eventually reversed the decision, under mounting pressure from local residents, politicians and religious leaders, and removed the sheets in the evening.

The incident has raised serious concerns about the sensitivity of religious sentiments and the importance of upholding the principles of religious tolerance and inclusivity, especially during major religious events. Critics have accused the government of perpetuating communal tensions and using unnecessary measures that cast a shadow of distrust over communal harmony.
Suryakant Dhasmana, Congress vice-president in Uttarakhand, alleged that this was a “contempt for the Supreme Court”.

“The order to put up curtains in front of mosques and mazars on the Kanwar Yatra route in Haridwar district, whoever gave the order, is in violation of the Supreme Court, which had banned an order asking hotel and restaurant owners and fruit vendors on the route to display their names, caste and religious identity,” Dhasmana said.

He attacked the ruling BJP party in the state, saying it has learnt nothing from the election defeats in Badrinath, Manglaur, Chitrakoot and Prayagraj.
“The message it has missed is that the entire country is one. The BJP’s divisive and discriminatory policies have been rejected. But the party is not learning from them,” Dhasmana said.

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