Salvation for Some, Menace for Others

[Guest guest]

NEW DELHI (Thursday 2nd August, 2007) (IANS): It is that time of the

year when the city's roads get choked with a surge of often fanatical

devotees of Lord Shiva, one of the gods in the Hindu Trinity.

Popularly known as Kanwarias, these pilgrims travel from Haridwar to

Delhi on foot and often add to the commuters' woes.

 

Carrying holy water from the river Ganga in urns slung across their

shoulders, this year too the devotees from Haryana and Rajasthan will

crisscross the capital between Aug 2 and 11.

 

Moving in hordes, they not only throw traffic out of gear but also

create havoc by smashing window panes of cars that dare to come

anywhere close to their pedestrian convoy.

 

It has become an annual feature for the Kanwarias to get involved in

brawls with motorists and even passers-by. That the pilgrims get

unruly and tussle with policemen, burning down buses and trucks, is

well known.

 

This time however the situation will get worse, with the Uttar

Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments deciding to close the highway

connecting Delhi to Haridwar Aug 4-11. While for these devotees it is

a religious ritual to undertake this arduous journey of over 200 km,

they are considered to be a menace, nuisance and an annual headache

by others.

 

The Delhi Traffic Police claims to have made elaborate plans and

every possible arrangement for the security of the tens of thousands

of devotees who will be undertaking the 'yatra', as the pilgrimage is

called. They have also identified the routes that will be taken by

the pilgrims and have barricaded the roads to allow smooth passage to

them.

 

And knowing quite well the history of these pilgrimages, the police

have urged road users and motorists not to mess around with the

pilgrims.

 

" The road users and motorists are advised to give the Kanwarias a

clear passage and must not indulge in any kind of argument with them

or pick up any quarrel as these persons who are full of religious

fervour and enthusiasm moving in large numbers can retaliate

resulting in unnecessary altercation and quarrel which should be

avoided, " stated deputy commissioner of police (traffic) H.P.S. Virk

in a statement.

 

Conceding the fact that over the years these Kanwarias are getting

out of control, a senior police official said that the major reason

for this is because the Kanwarias are getting younger.

 

" Earlier only devotees above 35 years of age used to undertake this

journey, but in the past few years, pilgrims as young as 15 have

started participating. For them this pilgrimage is more of a fun trip

and they are the ones who create a nuisance on the roads wielding

sticks and baseball bats. Keeping this in mind we will keep a closer

watch on these youngsters to prevent any untoward incident, " he said.

 

SOURCE: Calcutta News

URL: http://www.calcuttanews.net/story/270119