Ghaziabad: Proper-wing group shuts down KFC retailer in honour of Sawan, Kanwar Yatra
In 2022, footage from Bulandshahr confirmed a mob of yatris wrecking a automobile with tridents and sticks whereas police regarded on passively, presumably ensuring nobody harm themselves throughout the righteous beatdown.
In the meantime, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath continues to roll out the saffron carpet. This yr, his authorities deployed over 20,000 police personnel throughout the state, not a lot to manage yatri behaviour as to apparently facilitate it — offering water, medical assist, and even cellular charging stations.
On Friday itself, a number of information channels aired an Adityanath speech through which he hit out at these placing “devoted, hard-working kanwar yatris on media trial” and “daring to name them rioters, even terrorists”, and mentioned they have been insulting the religion of those devotees of Lord Shiva.
Talking in assist of Shiva devotees at a seminar on tribal icon Birsa Munda, he mentioned those that search to defame the kanwar yatris are the identical individuals who tried to separate the tribal neighborhood from India, with out offering something by means of assist for this startling assertion.
Visitors throughout cities and cities is routinely halted to make approach for DJ vehicles blasting techno remixes of Shiva bhajans, whereas motorcycle convoys carry out stunts on highways with all of the grace of a Monster Vitality industrial gone rogue.
The Adityanath administration has additionally instructed officers to deal with kanwariyas “with respect” and guarantee an “uninterrupted expertise”. For everybody else — commuters, shopkeepers, and restaurant employees — the expectation appears to be: smile, give up, and keep vegetarian.
In immediately’s Uttar Pradesh, non secular devotion has been repackaged as an entitlement to dominate public area, intimidate companies, and, when the temper strikes, smash up a Hyundai or two. Maybe subsequent yr, as a substitute of bothering with legislation enforcement, native authorities can simply hand out kanwar kits: saffron flags, a Bluetooth speaker, and immunity from prosecution.
In spite of everything, nothing says religion like fried chicken-related riots.
With PTI inputs
