The Yogi Adityanath government of Uttar Pradesh defended its order to put nameplates of the owners on the shops on the route of the Kanwad Yatra in the Supreme Court. The state government told the court that these orders were given to ensure that the sentiments of the Kanwadis are not hurt and peace is maintained. The government said that its purpose was to maintain transparency with the Kanwadis and their religious beliefs were given keeping in mind that their sentiments should not be tampered with even by mistake.
The government said that millions of Kanwariyas walk barefoot for miles carrying the holy water of the Ganga and if any such mistake is made then the situation can worsen. The government also stressed that no discriminatory attitude was adopted regarding the instructions, rather this instruction was given to all the shops on the Kanwar Yatra route.
The purpose of issuing these instructions is the safety of people, UP government told SC
The government further said that the purpose behind giving instructions to install the nameplates was to maintain peace and public safety during the Kanwar Yatra. He said that in view of the possibility of communal tension due to the participation of a large number of Kanwariyas, it is also the government’s responsibility to take care of public safety and law and order. It is important that measures are taken in advance for a peaceful and harmonious journey.
UP government said that incidents like before should not happen and Kanwar Yatra should be peaceful
The government told the Supreme Court that such incidents have come to the fore in the past in which tensions had arisen due to misunderstandings over food. These instructions were given to avoid such situations. On July 22, the Supreme Court had stayed the Uttar Pradesh government’s decision to install neckplates.
Cannot force to wear neckplate, says Supreme Court
An NGO Association of Protection of Civil Rights and Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra had filed a petition against the government’s decision. On these petitions, the bench of Justice Hrishikesh Roy and Justice SVN Bhatti had put an interim stay and said that one can ask to write non-vegetarian or vegetarian on the shop, but cannot force to put a plate.
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