Road accidents leave at least 6 kanwariyas dead, 20 injured

Muzaffarnagar/Haridwar: Six pilgrims were killed and nearly 20 injured in road accidents as the rush of kanwariyas significantly increased on Sunday on the Kanwar Yatra routes, especially the Delhi-Dehradun highway and the Ganga Canal road, during the final leg of the pilgrimage.

Thousands of kanwariyas (Lord Shiva devotees), heading back from Haridwar in Uttarakhand with ‘Gangajal, were greeted by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath with a helicopter showering flowers on them in Muzaffarnagar.

Authorities have implemented tight security measures along the Kanwar Yatra routes. The Yatra concludes on July 23, when the pilgrims will return home after offering the holy water from the Ganges at Shiva temples on their way.

As he welcomed the pilgrims, CM Adityanath claimed that some people were trying to defame the Kanwar Yatra on social media and urged every ‘Kanwar Sangh’ to expose such troublemakers.

Addressing an event, Adityanath said: “Troublemakers have resorted to defame this holy pilgrimage… We have CCTV footage of all of them. We are going to paste their posters after this (Kanwar Yatra) is over.”

He added, “We have to keep in mind that where there is enthusiasm and excitement, where there is faith and devotion, some elements are constantly trying to disturb that enthusiasm and to defame this devotion and faith.”

Adityanath also showered flowers on the kanwariyas from a stage built near Dulhera Chowki in Meerut’s Modipuram area.

“From tomorrow, lakhs of Shiv devotees from various states of the country will carry water in the form of kanwar and perform ‘jalabhishek’ in various Shiv temples. On this occasion, I heartily welcome all the Shiv devotees who are bringing holy Gangajal from Haridwar,” the chief minister said.

Rajya Sabha MP Laxmikant Bajpai and UP’s Minister of State Somendra Tomar shared the stage with him.

Meanwhile, three kanwariyas were arrested for allegedly assaulting a CRPF jawan following an argument over train tickets at the Mirzapur railway station, an official said on Sunday.