The Yogi Adityanath government has for the first time deployed the anti-terrorist squad (ATS) along Kanwar Yatra routes, doing so specifically in the Meerut and Muzaffarnagar districts, claiming a terrorist threat to the pilgrims.
The move comes after the Supreme Court stayed a state government order to food vendors along the pilgrimage route to display the owners’ and employees’ names on boards.
Both initiatives have prompted allegations that they are part of a communal agenda to intimidate and harass Muslims at a time when the BJP’s poor showing from Uttar Pradesh in the general election has put Adityanath on the back foot.
The state government has also, like previous years, pressed drones into service along the Yatra routes.
Director-general of police Prashant Kumar, who issued the order for ATS deployment on Saturday, was quoted as saying there was a threat of terrorist attacks on the Kanwariyas.
“There is a constant fear of terror attacks on any such religious journey. The Kanwar Yatra is very sensitive and so the ATS is there. We will be able to deal with any unusual situation if the commandos are there,” he said.
While western Uttar Pradesh indeed witnesses the heaviest Kanwar Yatra traffic, some observers feel the decision to station the ATS specifically in Meerut and Muzaffarnagar — districts with sizeable Muslim populations — carries shades of profiling.
Tauqeer Raza, a cleric from Bareilly, said: “The government is crossing all limits in establishing its communal agenda. Many roads including national and state highways have been blocked for common commuters. Many people have closed their restaurants out of fear. Is it good to harass people?”
While the Supreme Court has stayed the order for food vendors to display their names, eateries have largely not removed the name boards they had already put up.
Meerut senior superintendent of police (SSP) Vipin Tanda said: “The ATS has been posted and is watching every person. We are committed to the Yatra’s peaceful completion.”
Muzaffarnagar SSP Abhishek Singh said: “We have enhanced the security measures because the Yatra this year is very sensitive. The ATS is keeping vigil on the routes.”
He added: “Besides covering the Yatra route, ATS commandos are also there at Shiv Chawk, Minakshi Chawk, Spatal Tiraha and some other sensitive places in the district.”
Kanwariyas from Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh offer prayers at a temple at Shiv Chawk before moving on to Uttarakhand.
The devotees collect Ganga water from one place and offer it at a Shiv temple at some other place of their choice in the month of Shravan. The rush peaks between July 22 and August 4 but the Yatra continues for a month.