HARIDWAR: Fourteen kanwarias from Haryana’s Sonipat, who tried to sneak into Haridwar pretending to be regular pilgrims, were detained by Haridwar Police on Sunday and booked under the Disaster Management Act. They have been quarantined at the state's Prem Nagar ashram facility.Two locals caught selling items to kanwarias have also been booked.
Circle officer (CO) city Abhay Singh told TOI, “Kanwar yatra has been suspended this year by the government because of the pandemic. Police have been deployed at various borders, including Chidiyapur and Narsan, to stop kanwarias. However, some managed to sneak in, dressed as regular pilgrims and reached Har ki Pauri to collect Ganga water. We have detained and booked them under section 188 of the IPC (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and relevant sections of the Disaster Management act. All 14 belong to Sonipat district.”
The month of ‘Shravan’ started on Saturday, and would have marked the beginning of kanwar yatra, which has been called off by the Uttarakhand for the second year to prevent a Covid-19 outbreak. Neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, which initially planned to hold the yatra on a limited scale, also cancelled it after the Supreme Court intervention.
The Har-Ki-Pauri ghat in Haridwar, from where the kanwarias collect holy water every year, has been "sealed for the pilgrims" with barricades to remain till August 6.
