Veg only, with a sticker: VHP's ‘sanatani’ labels sprout on shops along Kanwar Yatra route

As the annual Kanwar Yatra picks up momentum, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has launched a sticker campaign in Delhi to identify shops that sell only vegetarian food, according to a TOI report.

These saffron stickers, bearing slogans like “Garv se kaho hum Hindu hain” and “Sanatani vyaparik sansthan,” are being pasted on restaurant and grocery store walls along the routes Kanwariyas will take.

According to VHP state general secretary Surendra Gupta, teams have been deployed across all 30 districts in Delhi, aiming to label 5,000 shops.


“It is up to the business owners to display the sticker as a mark of their commitment to Sanatani food values," he clarified to TOI.

‘Voluntary certification’ or unofficial regulation?

The VHP says the aim is to ensure that Kanwar pilgrims, who follow a highly disciplined and spiritual regimen during the yatra, can purchase food in line with their beliefs.

“These devotees carry water from Haridwar and don’t even let the container touch the ground. They deserve to be certain that what they consume is clean and aligned with Sanatan Dharma," Gupta explained to the news outlet.

Before pasting the sticker, VHP teams say they check food offerings at each location. “We’re not forcing anyone,” Gupta added. “This is about voluntary certification—swaichchhik pramanikta—and providing confidence to the yatris.”

However, shopkeepers from minority communities reportedly found themselves excluded from the campaign. Ground reports suggest teams often bypassed non-Hindu-run businesses, raising questions of discrimination.

The sticker campaign follows Delhi tourism minister Kapil Mishra’s statement last week recommending that meat shops along Kanwar routes remain shut.

While the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) distanced itself from that order, saying it lacked the authority to enforce such a closure, the VHP initiative appears to be a parallel, informal enforcement of similar sentiments, TOI reported.

Focus on faith-friendly food options

Although most Kanwariyas rely on food provided at special camps and community kitchens, some do stop at roadside eateries. Gupta said the VHP plans to raise awareness among pilgrims to buy only from stickered shops.

“We are asking shopkeepers to show their commitment to tradition. Pilgrims should know where they can eat without compromising their faith.”

The VHP has no plans to halt the campaign once the yatra concludes on July 23. Gupta said they intend to compile a comprehensive list of these ‘certified’ shops and issue formal certificates in the future.

The Kanwar Yatra began on Friday, with thousands of Shiva devotees arriving in Haridwar to collect sacred Ganga water.

As the crowds swell in Delhi over the coming days, the debate over whether religious beliefs should influence food access and commerce in public spaces is likely to intensify.