New Delhi: More than 170 kanwariyas have been booked under various charges in just five days since the kanwar yatra started on July 11.

The charges in which the kanwariyas have been booked include hooliganism, rioting, blocking highways, obstructing police officials, breach of peace, and wrongful restraint, indicates data from the Mela police force control room, reported Hindustan Times.

The recent incidents of violence during the kanwar yatra have led to the Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad (ABAP) on Tuesday (July 15) appealing to devotees to uphold the spiritual sanctity of the age-old pilgrimage and also avoid actions that undermine its religious significance.

“This is not just a journey; it’s a deep act of devotion that dates back to Treta Yug when Lord Parshuram is said to have first brought the Kanwar from Haridwar. Later, Shravan Kumar carried his parents on a Kanwar, symbolising service, sacrifice, and devotion. Kanwariyas must remember they are following the footsteps of such revered figures. This yatra is about compassion and penance, not aggression and chaos,” said Mahant Ravindra Puri, the president of ABAP.

Mahamandaleshwar Swami Harichetnanand Maharaj of the Shri Panchayati Naya Bada Udasin Akhada also expressed concerns over what he termed as “a distortion of the yatra’s essence”.

“We are seeing kanwariyas pass Ganga Jal pitchers like batons in a relay race, which is a distortion of the yatra’s essence...” he said, reported HT.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Uttarakhand high court had sought a response from the state’s DGP and Panchayati Raj Department secretary on how the state plans to manage conducting Panchayat elections at a time when Uttarakhand is witnessing huge influx of Kanwariyas and prevailing monsoon conditions across the state.

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