All shopkeepers along the Kanwar Yatra path are required by law to publicly display their names outside of their businesses.
Regarding the impending Kanwar Yatra Rule, the Muzaffarnagar district police in Uttar Pradesh have issued an order. All shopkeepers along the Kanwar Yatra path are required by law to publicly display their names outside of their businesses. This step is intended to guarantee transparency and prevent misunderstandings during the religious procession.
Devotees of Lord Shiva are expected to commence the Kanwar Yatra, an annual pilgrimage, on July 22. Muzaffarnagar Police has ordered all restaurants, lodging facilities, dhabas, and roadside carts that fall under their authority (about 240 kilometers) to prominently post the identities of their owners or employees as part of the preparations.
The goal of this action, according to Senior Superintendent of Police Abhishek Singh, is to avoid misunderstanding among the kanwariyas (pilgrims) and to head off any potential accusations that would cause problems with law and order.
Concerns About the Kanwar Yatra Rule by the AIMIM Chief
But there is debate about the directive. Parties in opposition have compared this action to previous cases of discrimination. Asaduddin Owaisi, the head of AIMIM, expressed worries that the directive would unintentionally promote religious prejudice. He compared it to South Africa’s apartheid policies and Hitler’s Germany’s Nazi-initiated “Judenboycott.”
A system of legalized racial segregation known as apartheid involves the systematic denial of political and civil rights to one group of people. On the other hand, the term “Judenboycott” describes the Nazi regime’s boycott of Jewish-owned companies, which began in April 1933.
Screenwriter and lyricist from Bollywood Javed Akhtar also questioned the need for such directives. “Muzaffarnagar UP police has given instructions that all shops, restaurants, and even vehicles should show the owner’s name prominently and clearly on the route of a particular religious procession in the near future,” the man tweeted. Why? In Nazi Germany, only particular stores and homes were marked.
The UP police made it clear throughout the social media controversy that followed that they have no aim of inciting religious discrimination. Rather, their goal is to aid the followers of the Kanwar Yatra throughout the sacred month of Shravan. During this time, many pilgrims refrain from eating particular foods, and the police want to make sure that everyone has a simple and open experience.
