The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has directed state governments to beef up security arrangements for the Kanwar Yatra, citing threat from radical elements, sources said.
With the commencement of Kanwar Yatra from Thursday, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has directed state governments to beef up security for Kanwariyas, citing threat from radical elements, sources said.
Based on inputs from an Intelligence Bureau report, the home ministry has issued an advisory for several states, including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Madhya Pradesh, to step up security arrangements for the Kanwar Yatra.
The Railway Board has also been instructed to tighten security on trains in view of the threat. According to the advisory, a large number of police personnel should be deployed to deal with any threat during the Kanwar Yatra, sources said.
The Kanwar Yatra began on the first day of the Hindu month of Shravan on Thursday amid tight security arrangements, with devotees of Lord Shiva reaching Haridwar in large numbers to fetch the waters of the Ganga.
Authorities estimate that at least four crore Kanwariyas will arrive in Haridwar and neighbouring Rishikesh to collect the waters of the holy river during the nearly fortnight-long fair.
Kanwariyas from several states, including Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan, visit Haridwar and Rishikesh to collect waters of the Ganga and make an offering of it to Lord Shiva in temples back home.
STRICT SECURITY ARRANGEMENTS IN PLACE
In view of a large crowd of devotees expected to throng the two pilgrimage towns, strict vigil is being maintained through CCTV cameras, drones and monitoring of the social media. Bomb disposal and anti-terror squads have also been deployed in the mela kshetra.
Haridwar and adjoining areas have been divided into 12 super zones, 31 zones and 133 sectors with the deployment of around 10,000 police personnel.
Drone surveillance of the Kanwar yatra routes will also be done round the clock and no Shiva devotee will be allowed to enter the town with spears and other weapons, police said.
