- By Nidhi Giri
- Sun, 21 Jul 2024 04:59 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Kanwar Yatra 2024: The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a plea challenging the latest order by the Uttar Pradesh government directing shop owners to display their names outside shops during the Kanwar Yatra. A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti is slated to hear the case on July 22. The plea was filed by the NGO, Association of Protection of Civil Rights (APCR), a Bar and Bench report stated.
A row erupted after an order was issued on July 19 by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Yogi government in Uttar Pradesh, requiring all restaurants along the Kanwar Yatra route across the state to display the names of their owners outside their shops.
Following the directive by Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, the Uttarakhand government also issued an order on similar guidelines of installing nameplates on board across the Yatra route to facilitate the pilgrims.
Under the directive, all the food businessmen associated with food on the Kanwar Yatra route in Haridwar, Rishikesh, Neelkanth, Gangotri and Dehradun have been instructed to put nameplates and address boards outside their establishments.
Opposition Parties Criticise Move
The opposition and other political leaders took notice of the directive and criticised the Yogi government for its "divisive agenda”.
The Congress slammed the directive, which police have said is voluntary, as "an assault on India's culture", alleging that it intended to normalise the economic boycott of Muslims.
TMC leader Saket Gokhale has filed a case with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) against the order issued by the Muzaffarnagar Police asking proprietors of all the eateries, and restaurants to "display their names & names of staff members".
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi compared the UP Police decision to “apartheid” in South Africa and “Judenboycott” in Hitler’s Germany. “As per the order of the Uttar Pradesh Police, now every food shop or cart owner will have to put his name on the board so that no Kanwariya buys anything from a Muslim shop by mistake,” he said.
The BJP, which is in power at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh, has defended the measure, claiming that it allows fasting Hindus who may want to eat at a pure vegetarian restaurant, where the likelihood of them being served 'satvik' food is higher.