Muzaffarnagar Police issued a statement on Wednesday (July 17), asking hotels, dhabas, and other shops selling food along the Kanwar Yatra route to display the names of their owners and staff members. According to the police, this measure aims to prevent confusion among Kanwar Yatra pilgrims, which could potentially lead to a law-and-order crisis.

Muzaffarnagar Superintendent of Police Abhishek Singh informed the press that everyone is complying with the directive wholeheartedly.

"The preparations for the Kanwar Yatra are underway. We have a 240-km long Kanwar route. We have issued directives to all roadside eateries such as hotels, dhabas, and other shops, where Kanwariyas (Kanwar Yatra pilgrims) can buy food, to display the names of the proprietors and employees," Singh told reporters. 

"The order has been issued to avoid any confusion, so that no allegations and counter-allegations are made, and to prevent any potential law-and-order situation later," Singh added. 

The order comes a month after Muzaffarnagar Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) MLA and minister of state, Kapil Dev Aggarwal said that Muslims should not name their shops after Hindu gods or goddesses during the yatra to avoid any conflict.

The directive has invited criticism from opposition parties, who allege that it unfairly targets Muslims.

Condemning the move, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera wrote on X, saying, “Not just political parties, all right-thinking people and media must rise against this state sponsored bigotry. We cannot allow the BJP to push the country back into dark ages.”

Accusing the Uttar Pradesh government for “pushing its divisive policy using administration and police,” Samajwadi Party leader Sudhir Panwar said, “Such orders are nothing but a coveted attempt of polarising people on the lines of religion,” Hindustan Times reported.

However, the Muzaffarnagar police denied such allegations, stating that their intention is not to discriminate against people based on religious lines.

This is not for the first time under Yogi government that such a step related to the Hindu festival is taken.

On June 30, the Yogi Adityanath-led state government decided to ban the sale and purchase of meat in the open along the route of the Kanwar Yatra as part of their preparations for law-and-order arrangements.

Adityanath directed his officials that, in order to "respect the faith of devotees," there should be "no open sale and purchase of meat" anywhere on the Kanwar Yatra route.

The state government had issued a directive to ensure 'pushp varsha'—the shower of flower petals—on Kanwariyas.

Like every year during this time, Hindu pilgrims travel on foot, often barefoot, to Uttarakhand to collect water from the Ganges River and offer it in Shiva temples.

This year, the annual festival begins on Monday, July 22nd.