Haridwar: Sheets hung over mosques, mazar on kanwar route, later removed

Facades of two mosques and a mazar along the Kanwar Yatra route in Uttarakhand's Haridwar city were covered with large sheets of white cloth on Friday to "prevent trouble", but removed by evening after objections from various quarters. The sheets were hung on bamboo scaffoldings in front of two mosques and a mazar, all in the city's Jwalapur area.

The mosque's maulana and the mazar's caretakers said they were not aware of any administrative order in this regard, and claimed this was the first time that such a step had been taken during the yatra.

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. "Any such thing is done only to prevent trouble," he said. "It is not such a big thing. We also cover buildings when they are under construction."

The sheets of cloth were removed by the district administration by evening following objections, including those by locals and politicians. "We received orders from the railway police post to remove the curtains. That is why we have come to remove them," said Danish Ali, appointed as a special police officer (SPO) by the administration for the yatra's management.

Congress leader and former minister Naeem Qureshi said he has never seen such a thing in his life. "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.

Qureshi said before the kanwar mela (fair) began, the administration had held a meeting and members from both Hindu and Muslim communities were made SPOs.

One of the mazar's caretakers, Shakeel Ahmad, said no one spoke to the caretakers about covering the religious structure. Kanwariyas stop under the shade of trees outside mosques and mazars to rest, Ahmed said, and added that this was the first time such a step was taken.

Congress leader and former district panchayat president Rao Afaque Ali said the administration's decision to cover mosques and mazars is surprising. "It 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?" he asked.

Uttarakhand Congress vice-president Suryakant Dhasmana claimed that this was a "contempt of the Supreme Court".

"The order to place curtains on mosques and mazars along 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," Dhasmana said.

Attacking the ruling BJP in the state, he said it has not learned from its electoral defeats in Badrinath, Manglaur, Chitrakoot and Prayagraj. "The message it has missed is that the entire country is one. The BJP's divisive and discriminatory politics has been rejected. But the party is not learning," Dhasmana said.