Uttar Pradesh Police is under fire after issuing an order directing eateries in Muzaffarnagar to “voluntarily display” the names of their owners during the Kanwar Yatra. The directive, aimed at assisting Kanwar Yatris, has sparked a debate over its implications and intentions.
The order applies to all eateries, including hotels, dhabas, and food carts along the 240 km Kanwar Yatra route in Muzaffarnagar. Police officials clarified that the intention was to avoid confusion among the devotees and prevent any law and order issues.
“About 240 km of Kanwar Yatra route falls in the district. All the eateries, including hotels, dhabas and carts, on the route, have been asked to display the names of their proprietors or those working on these shops,” the police chief of Muzaffarnagar, Abhishek Singh told news agency PTI.
Muzaffarnagar police chief Abhishek Singh told PTI, “This has been done to ensure that there should be no confusion among kanwariyas and no law and order situation arises. All are following this voluntarily.”
Despite the clarification, the directive has led to significant backlash from various quarters.
Akhilesh Yadav Calls for Court Intervention
Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav questioned the government’s motive behind the order, urging the court to take suo motu cognizance of the matter.
Yadav remarked, “… And what if the name of the owner is Guddu, Munna, Chhotu or Fatte? What can you find out from these names?” He further stated, “The honourable court should take suo motu cognizance of this matter and investigate the intentions of the government and take appropriate punitive action.” He also claimed, “Such an order is a social crime aimed at spoiling the peaceful atmosphere and harmony.”
Javed Akhtar Draws Parallel to Nazi Germany
Bollywood lyricist Javed Akhtar reacted strongly, comparing the directive to practices in Nazi Germany. He wrote on “Muzaffarnagar UP police has given instructions that on the route of a particular religious procession in near future all the shops restaurants n even vehicles should show the name of the owner prominently and clearly. Why? In Nazi Germany they used to make only a mark on particular shops and houses,”
Asaduddin Owaisi Links Order to Historical Apartheid and Anti-Semitic Practices
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi criticized the move, likening it to apartheid in South Africa and “judenboycott” in Hitler’s Germany. He posted on X, “As per the order of the Uttar Pradesh Police, now every food shop or cart owner will have to put his name on the board so that no Kanwadia buys anything from a Muslim shop by mistake. This was called Apartheid in South Africa and in Hitler’s Germany, it was called ‘Judenboycott’,”
Police Clarification on the Directive
In response to the criticism, the Uttar Pradesh Police explained that the directive was issued to avoid past incidents where confusion over food items led to disturbances. The police emphasized that the decision was meant to respect the dietary practices of the Kanwariyas and prevent any law and order issues.
“During the Shravan Kanwar Yatra, a large number of Kanwariyas from neighbouring states, via Western Uttar Pradesh, collect water from Haridwar and pass through Muzaffarnagar district. During the holy month of Shravan, many people, especially Kanwariyas, abstain from certain food items in their diet,” the Muzaffarnagar police stated.
The police added,”In the past, such instances have come to light where some shopkeepers selling all types of food items on Kanwar Marg named their shops in such a way that it created confusion among the Kanwariyas and created a law and order situation. To prevent such a recurrence and in view of the faith of the devotees, hotels, dhabas and shopkeepers selling food items on Kanwar Marg have been requested to voluntarily display the names of their owners and employees.”
