Following the footsteps of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, several bureaucrats and top cops also welcomed the Kanwar yatris in Meerut by showering rose petals on them from a helicopter but denied any religious angle behind the gesture.
Additional Director General of Uttar Pradesh Police (Meerut Zone) Prashant Kumar, Meerut Commissioner Anita Meshram and several other senior officials went out of their way to give the Kanwariyas a rosy welcome.
Earlier, CM Yogi Adityanath had taken an aerial survey of the Kanwar Yatra in Meerut on 28 July.
Kumar brushed aside any ‘religious angle’ and told ANI that flowers are used to welcome all people.
No religious angle should be given to this, flowers are used to welcome people. Administration respects all religions and actively takes part, even in Gurupurab, Eid, Bakrid or Jain festivals.Prashant Kumar,ADG of Police(Meerut Zone)
He also directed Baghpat district magistrate Rishirendra Kumar to supervise arrangements for the three-day Kanwar fair in Pura Mahadev Temple in Baghpat where lakhs of devotees are expected to attend, according to a report by The Indian Express.
The IE report added that DJ music has also been arranged for the Kanwariyas and one of the song that is being played goes like: “DJ bajwa diye Yogi ne, Bhole nachwa diye Yogi ne.” (Yogi switched on DJ, Yogi made the devotees dance).
Earlier on Thursday, in Delhi’s Moti Nagar, a group of Kanwar yatris were caught on camera vandalising a car after the driver allegedly brushed past one of them.
Similarly in UP’s Bulandshahr, after a scuffle with a youth, few Kanwariyas vandalised a police car when they tried to intervene.
(With ANI inputs)
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