The Uttar Pradesh government is adamantly against petitions that contest its order compelling store owners along the Kanwar Yatra route to prominently display their names.
The state administration said in a thorough filing to the Supreme Court that the decision was given in order to guarantee a quiet and well-organised pilgrimage.
Every year, millions of people take part in the Kanwar Yatra, an annual pilgrimage where followers of Lord Shiva, also called Kanwariyas, go to collect holy water from the Ganges River.
According to the Uttar Pradesh government, specific complaints from Kanwariyas prompted the introduction of the regulation. There had reportedly been complaints from pilgrims about the food being served along the way, which gave rise to worries about whether it had been prepared according to religious tenets.
The opposition has targetted the government calling the directive ‘anti-muslim’ and aimed at creating divisions within the society.
