Ban on meat sale on Kanwar route, UP to deploy choppers and drones

NEW DELHI: Ban on open sale of meat along the routes in about a dozen districts and deployment of drones, choppers, police patrol vehicles and ambulances – the Yogi Adityanath government is pulling out all the stops for the smooth conduct of the month-long Kanwar pilgrimage that begins in Uttar Pradesh this Saturday.

A specific instruction has also gone out on July 20 to all district magistrates to ensure the safety of female kanwaris, saying there were incidents in the past when women carrying the holy water were sexually harassed.

The letter highlighted nine types of incidents in the past with the kanwaris and said steps should be taken to avoid the recurrence of those. These include rumours spread through social media, arguments between kanwaris and shopkeepers, use of DJ and loudspeakers while passing through minority-dominated areas and protests by kanwaris near liquor shops, meat shops, slaughter houses as well as hotels and restaurants serving non-vegetarian food.


A set of 11 instructions have been given – including ban on open sale of meat on all routes of the yatra in districts like Meerut, Muzzafarnagar, Bulandhshaher, Ghaziabad, Noida, Aligarh, Bareilly, Bijnore, Moradabad and Hapur.

The chief minister earlier this month said a watch should be kept by drones and even helicopters on the long routes of the yatra that involve four national highways and two major rail routes. Adequate UP-100 Patrol vehicles and ambulance should also be deployed, the CM had said. Rest camps will also be set up every five kilometres along the route in UP.