The police order to display the names of eatery owners along the Kanwar Yatra route in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, has been strongly criticised by Congress's Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who said it was against the Constitution.
"Creating division in society on the basis of caste and religion is a crime against the Constitution. This order should be withdrawn immediately and strict action should be taken against the officials who issued it," read her post on X, formerly Twitter.
"Our Constitution guarantees every citizen that he will not be discriminated against on the basis of caste, religion, language or any other basis. The divisive order to put up name boards of the owners of carts, kiosks and shops in Uttar Pradesh is an attack on our Constitution, our democracy and our shared heritage," read a rough translation of the Hindi post.
हमारा संविधान हर नागरिक को गारंटी देता है कि उसके साथ जाति, धर्म, भाषा या किसी अन्य आधार पर भेदभाव नहीं होगा।
उत्तर प्रदेश में ठेलों, खोमचों और दुकानों पर उनके मालिकों के नाम का बोर्ड लगाने का विभाजनकारी आदेश हमारे संविधान, हमारे लोकतंत्र और हमारी साझी विरासत पर हमला है।
समाज…— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) July 19, 2024
The police had ordered that all food joints display their owner's name prominently to avoid confusion during the religious procession.
"Preparations have begun for the kanwar yatra. In the area under our jurisdiction, which is around 240 km, all eateries, hotels, dhabas, and thelas (roadside carts) have been instructed to display the names of their proprietors or those running the shop. This is being done to ensure that there's no confusion among the kanwariyas and no allegations are raised in the future, leading to a law and order situation. Everyone is following this of their own free will," said Abhishek Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police, Muzaffarnagar.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi claimed that this move was to ensure no 'Kanwariya' buys anything from a Muslim owner's shop.
The Opposition linked the move to "apartheid" in South Africa and policies in Hitler's Germany.
As the controversy grew, the police clarified in a statement that the intention of the order was not to create any kind of "religious discrimination" but only to facilitate the devotees.
Kanwar Yatra, an annual pilgrimage by devotees of Lord Shiva, will begin on July 22.