Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday said the Muzaffarnagar police's order asking eateries on the Kanwar Yatra route to display their owners' names is a "social crime" and asked the courts to take suo motu cognisance of the matter.

Police in Muzaffarnagar have ordered all eateries on the Kanwar Yatra route to display the names of their owners to avoid any "confusion", a move seen by the Opposition parties as targeting Muslim traders.

Reacting to a news article on the order, Yadav wrote on X, "... And what if the name of the owner is Guddu, Munna, Chhotu or Fatte? What can you find out from these names?"

"The honourable court should take suo motu cognizance of this matter and investigate the intentions of the government and take appropriate punitive action," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said.

He also termed the order a "social crime".

"Such an order is a social crime aimed at spoiling the peaceful atmosphere and harmony," he said.

Muzaffarnagar police chief Abhishek Singh on Monday said, "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." "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," he had told reporters.

The decision has drawn flak from politicians and members of the civil society.

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