< Back to all clusters
[CULTURE] · India · 4 sources

started · updated

Kali Sena chief Anand Swaroop vows to remove non‑Hindu shops from Haridwar Kanwar Yatra

Kali Sena National President Swami Anand Swaroop Maharaj warned that any shop run by a non‑Hindu in Haridwar’s Kanwar Mela will be "forcibly removed" and that strict action will be taken against such vendors. He alleged that non‑Hindus intend to "pollute" and "desecrate" the Kanwar Yatra and urged devotees not to purchase Kanwar‑related items from them. He also said shops without name‑plates would face the same action.

Uttarakhand police have deployed roughly 6,000 personnel for crowd management and law enforcement ahead of the pilgrimage. The state administration has enhanced surveillance with extensive CCTV coverage and watch towers along the main routes. Existing prohibitions on meat and alcohol outlets along the designated Kanwar paths remain in force. The annual Kanwar Yatra 2026 begins on July 30, coinciding with the first day of the holy month of Sawan, and concludes on August 11 with a Sawan Shivratri Jal Abhishek, drawing millions of Shiva devotees from across India.

Entities

Haridwar · Kali Sena · Kanwar Yatra · Kanwar Yatra · Swami Anand Swaroop Maharaj · Uttarakhand Police

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.