HARIDWAR: Kanwariya pilgrims of Haryana killed a Jat Regiment jawan by attacking him with sticks and sharp-edged weapons while returning with Gangajal from Haridwar.
Haridwar’s Superintendent of Police (SP) Dehat Pramendra Dobhal told ANI that the police have registered a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against 20 Kanwariyas in this case and have arrested 6 Kanwariyas.
“Six nabbed, search on for others,” Dehat Pramendra Dobhal, SP Rural said. According to the police officer, a search for the rest is on.
The jawan, a resident of Muzaffarnagar, was also returning with Gangajal. The 25-year-old deceased jawan was a resident of Sisoli in Muzaffarnagar and was presently posted in the Jat Regiment in Gujarat.
‘Kanwar Yatra’ is an annual pilgrimage undertaken by Lord Shiva’s devotees known as ‘Kanwariyas’ who visit places like Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand and Sultanganj in Bihar to fetch the holy water of the Ganges and then worship the God with the same water.
The Kanwar Yatra has resumed this year after a gap of two years due to Covid-19 restrictions. Administrations of several areas are adopting necessary measures to avoid any untoward incidents during the holy pilgrimage.
More than three crore Shiva devotees have visited Haridwar till now to collect the holy Ganga water to be offered as ‘Jalabhishek’ to Lord Shiva, the district magistrate said on Tuesday. (ANI)