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Large white sheets were draped over the facades of two mosques and a mazar on Friday along the Kanwar Yatra route in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar, to \u201cprevent trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
However, by evening, the sheets were taken down following objections from various parties. The sheets had been placed on bamboo scaffoldings in front of the structures, located in the Jwalapur area, PTI <\/i>reported.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Also Read: Supreme Court continues interim stay on Kanwar Yatra nameplate order<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The maulana of the mosque and the caretakers of the mazar stated that they were unaware of any administrative orders regarding the coverings and claimed that such a measure had not been taken during the yatra before.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Though the Haridwar senior superintendent of police and district magistrate were not available for comment, Cabinet Minister Satpal Maharaj told reporters that it was done to maintain peace. \u201cAny such thing is done only to prevent trouble,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cIt is not such a big thing. We also cover buildings when they are under construction,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The sheets of cloth were removed by the district administration by the evening following objections, including by locals and politicians.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cWe received orders from the railway police post to remove the curtains. That is why we have come to remove these,\u201d said Danish Ali, appointed as a special police officer (SPO) by the administration for the yatra’s management.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Haridwar Superintendent of Police (City) Swatantra Kumar, however, told The Indian Express<\/i> that there was no order to do so \u2013 either from the district administration or the police.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cWe have also talked to the party concerned and removed the covers. We have talked to the locals, too. Barricades were being installed on the yatra route, and there must have been some mistake in that, leading to the covers. It was not intentional,\u201d said Kumar.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Also Read: UP defends Kanwar Yatra order before Supreme Court, says \u2018idea is to bring transparency, ensure peace\u2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Congress leader and former minister Naeem Qureshi said he has never seen such a thing in his life.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n “We Muslims always welcome Shiv bhakts (devotees) for the kanwar fair and arrange refreshments for them at various places. This has been an example of harmony between Hindus and Muslims in Haridwar, and there has never been a tradition of curtains,” he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Qureshi mentioned that before the Kanwar Mela began, the administration had convened a meeting where representatives from both Hindu and Muslim communities were appointed as Special Police Officers (SPOs).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Shakeel Ahmad, a caretaker of one of the mazars, stated that they were not consulted about the decision to cover the religious structures. He noted that Kanwariyas traditionally rest under the shade of trees outside mosques and mazars, and this was the first time such a measure had been implemented.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Also Read: What is Kanwar Yatra eateries directive row? SC to hear Mahua Moitra\u2019s plea today| Explained in 10 points<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Congress leader and former district panchayat president Rao Afaque Ali expressed surprise at the administration’s decision to cover the mosques and mazars.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cIt has never happened earlier. Some kanwariyas also go to mosques to pay obeisance. India is a country where everyone takes care of every religion and caste. Today mosques are being covered, what will happen if temples are covered in this manner tomorrow?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Uttarakhand Congress vice president Suryakant Dhasmana claimed that this was a \u201ccontempt of the Supreme Court\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThe order to put curtains on mosques and mazars on the kanwar yatra route in Haridwar district, whoever has issued it, goes against the Supreme Court which has put a stay on an order which asked hotel and restaurant owners and fruit vendors on the route to display their names, caste and religious identity,\u201d Dhasmana said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Also Read: UP eateries along Kanwar Yatra route asked to display owners\u2019 names, Opposition likens \u2018social crime\u2019 to Nazi Germany<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Attacking the ruling BJP in the state, he said it has not learnt from its electoral defeats in Badrinath, Manglaur, Chitrakoot and Prayagraj.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThe message it has missed is that the entire country is one. BJP’s divisive and discriminatory politics has been rejected. But the party is not learning,\u201d Dhasmana said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Catch all theBudget News,Business News, Politics news,Breaking NewsEvents andLatest News Updates on Live Mint. Download TheMint News App to get Daily Market Updates.<\/p>\n More<\/span>Less<\/span><\/div>\n