This year too, the Kanwar Yatra, one of north India’s largest annual religious pilgrimages, left behind a disturbing trail of violence, vandalism, road rage and intimidation. A series of uglyincidentshappenedinand around the yatra routes.
The annual pilgrimage conclusion on August 11 brought a sigh of relief to millions of people, shopkeepers, commuters and residents living along and around the Kanwar routes. During the yatra, saffron-clad devotees, many of them from socially and economically backward communities, travel to Haridwar and other sacred places to collect holy Ganga water and carry it back to their hometowns. Police estimated that nearly 4.8 crore Kanwariyas participated in the Haridwar leg alone.
But alongside the familiar images of barefoot devotees carrying elaborately decorated Kanwars and chanting “Bam BamBhole”, the 2026 yatra was repeatedly punctuated by incidents of road rage, attacks on vehicles, clashes with police, assaults on journalists and, in the most disturbing case, the alleged fatal assault of a young driver.The incidents have once again raised an uncomfortable question: At what point does religious fervour become a licence for hooliganism?
The answer cannot be found by questioning the faith of millions of peaceful pilgrims. Nor should the Kanwar Yatra itself be portrayed as inherently violent. The problem lies in the growing politicisation of the yatra, particularly since the BJP came to power in Uttar Pradesh.
The issue took a more troubling turn when the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government began ‘pampering’Kanwariyas in what critics described as an attempt to appease its Hindutva constituency. Rather than simply ensuring the safety and smooth passage of pilgrims, the administration went to extraordinary lengths to court and glorify them. Police personnel were seen showering flower petals on Kanwariyas, while helicopters were deployed to shower petals on the pilgrims.Such overt displays of official deference, critics argue, risk reinforcing a sense of privilege and impunity among sections of the participants, allowing the situation to deteriorate from bad to worse.
The administration’s indulgence became even more difficult to reconcile with police action on the ground. In Meerut and Muzaffarnagar, police reportedly seized sharp-edged objects, sticks and other potentially dangerous items from groups of Kanwariyas during the yatra.
The seizures exposed a striking contradiction at the heart of the government’s approach: while the administration was publicly showering pilgrims with flower petals,even using helicopters for the purpose,it was simultaneously having to confiscate weapons, sticks and other potentially dangerous objects from some participants to prevent violence.The result is a troubling environment in which a section of participants appears increasingly willing to invoke religious sentiment to justify taking the law into their own hands.
Minor Road Incident
One of the recurring flashpoints this year was the alleged touching or brushing of Kanwars by vehicles.In Muzaffarnagar, a group of Kanwariyasallegedly vandalised a pickup truck near Khadar Chowk in Purkazi after the vehicle reportedly came into contact with a Kanwar on the Delhi-Haridwar National Highway.
What should have been dealt with as a traffic incident quickly escalated into a confrontation. The vehicle was damaged before police arrived and brought the situation under control.
The incident was not isolated.Another private jeep was reportedly vandalised in the Purkazi area after allegedly brushing against a Kanwariya. Police examined videos of the incident and began identifying those involved.The repeated pattern was striking: accidental contact with a Kanwar was enough to trigger collective anger, followed by damage to property and confrontation.
The question is simple: If an accident occurs, who has the authority to determine responsibility – the police or a crowd?The answer in a constitutional democracy can only be the police and the courts.
Journalists Become Targets
The Kanwar season also witnessed an alarming confrontation between pilgrims, police and journalists in Muzaffarnagar.At Shiv Chowk, police reportedly tried to stop some Kanwariyas from climbing onto a double-decker vehicle because of safety concerns, including rain and overhead high-tension electricity lines.Instead of accepting the restriction, some Kanwariyas allegedly pushed and argued with police personnel. The situation deteriorated, and two journalists covering the incident, Varun Sharma and Pankaj Balian, were allegedly assaulted.Sharma reportedly suffered a serious hand injury, including a fractured finger.
The journalists subsequently submitted a written complaint seeking action against those responsible. Noted analyst and journalist Raju Parulekar, speaking in an interview, described the behaviour of some Kanwariyas along the routes as a ‘reign of terror’.
Videos circulated on social media purportedly showed a Kanwariya threatening the local police station house officer and claiming that the officer’s uniform would be removed within minutes. In another video, some Kanwariyas were allegedly seen brandishing firearms at a Kanwar shelter camp.The confrontation became serious enough for senior police officials to intervene.
This was more than another roadside clash. When journalists covering a public incident themselves become targets, the issue is no longer merely about religious sentiment. It becomes an assault on the basic principles of a democratic society.A religious procession cannot claim immunity from scrutiny simply because it is religious.
A Young Life Lost
The most disturbing case linked to this year’s Kanwar period came from Hapur.Twenty-four-year-old pickup-truck driver Mohd Azim died after allegedly being assaulted by a group of Kanwariyas following a road accident on National Highway-9.
Police later arrested four Kanwariyas and added a murder charge against five people as the investigation intensified.The case is a grim reminder of how quickly road rage can turn deadly when a crowd decides to administer its own punishment.A traffic accident is a matter for investigation. It cannot become a justification for mob violence.The death of a young driver demonstrates the potentially fatal consequences of a culture in which collective anger overwhelms individual responsibility.
Whatever the final judicial findings, the case has already raised a fundamental question: Can an alleged offence against a Kanwar justify an assault that ends in death?There can be only one answer – NO.
When Faith Becomes a Shield for Aggression
For millions of devotees, the Kanwar is sacred. That belief deserves respect.But respect for religious sentiment cannot mean that another citizen’s property, livelihood, dignity or life becomes expendable.The growing tendency among some groups to react violently when a Kanwar is allegedly touched, damaged or obstructed is particularly troubling.
There is a crucial distinction between protecting religious sentiment and using religious sentiment as a licence for violence.That distinction appears to have been blurred in several incidents this year.
The irony is that the Kanwar Yatra is traditionally associated with endurance, austerity, discipline and devotion. However, the behaviour of a section of participants – smashing vehicles, confronting police or attacking journalists – stands in direct contradiction to those values.
Governments Knew the Risks
The authorities were not caught unaware.Uttar Pradesh had prepared extensively for the pilgrimage, deploying large numbers of police personnel, installing CCTV cameras, regulating traffic and establishing medical and relief facilities.The state administration even set a target of a ‘zero incident, zero accident’ Kanwar Yatra.Yet incidents continued to occur.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath himself appealed to Kanwariyas to maintain discipline and warned that anti-social elements were tarnishing the image of the pilgrimage. He urged devotees not to indulge in unruly behaviour over minor issues.That warning was significant.It acknowledged that the problem could not simply be dismissed as an attempt to malign the pilgrimage. The administration itself recognised the danger posed by undisciplined elements.
Other states also imposed restrictions on objects that could potentially be used during clashes, including tridents, lathis, hockey sticks and baseball bats. Authorities placed restrictions on loud DJ systems and other activities, while police monitored social media for rumours and provocative content.But the deployment of more police and imposition of more restrictions cannot alone solve the problem.The real solution requires consistent enforcement of the law, regardless of the religious identity of those involved.
The Price Paid by Ordinary Citizens
The Kanwar Yatra is also one of the largest logistical exercises in the country.For weeks, major highways are diverted or closed to accommodate the movement of pilgrims.This year, the Delhi-Haridwar National Highway and the Ganga canal road in western Uttar Pradesh were closed to ordinary traffic during the peak period. Long diversions affected commuters, buses, commercial vehicles and emergency movement.Delhi too imposed extensive traffic restrictions as Kanwariyas entered the capital.
Such arrangements are understandable. Millions of pedestrians moving along major highways inevitably require special traffic measures.The problem begins when temporary accommodation turns into an expectation of unquestioned privilege.
Environment Issue
The pilgrimage also leaves behind another major challenge – the environmental cost.After the yatra concluded, Haridwar authorities reportedly collected around 8,000 tonnes of waste from ghats and mela areas.Sanitation workers removed large quantities of plastic, discarded clothing and other waste generated during the pilgrimage.The contradiction is difficult to ignore.
Millions undertake the journey to collect water from the Ganga, yet the river and its banks are subsequently burdened with tonnes of waste.Authorities had deployed additional sanitation workers, garbage-collection vehicles and toilets in anticipation of enormous crowds.
But the scale of the post-yatra waste raises questions about whether religious devotion is being matched by civic responsibility.
Religious Sentiment Cannot Mean Legal Immunity
If a driver can be attacked because his vehicle allegedly touched a Kanwar, if a journalist can be assaulted for reporting a confrontation, or if a policeman can be threatened for enforcing a safety rule, then the issue goes far beyond the Kanwar Yatra.More importantly, allowing such behaviour to go unchecked creates a dangerous precedent.It becomes a question of whether the rule of law applies equally to everyone.
The Kanwar Yatra has acquired enormous political significance over the years. Governments invest heavily in its arrangements, while political leaders regularly appeal to devotees.But political sensitivity cannot become legal immunity.The state must have the courage to tell even the most powerful religious constituency that violence will not be tolerated.A democratic government cannot selectively enforce the law.
The Kanwar Yatra ended on August 11. The crowds have dispersed, the highways have reopened and the saffron flags have largely disappeared from roads. But the questions raised by this year’s incidents remain.
The spiritual character of the Kanwar Yatra is undermined when a section of participants turns minor road incidents into violent confrontations, attack journalists, threaten police or damage public and private property.No religious sentiment, however deeply held, gives anyone the right to take the law into their own hands.