As India’s Hindu community gears up to observe the ‘unique’ two-month long sawan, the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to prohibit sale of meat in the open along the routes fixed for Kanwar Yatra.
Sawan or Shravan is being considered unique this year as the festival will be celebrated for 59 days after 19 years. The month of Sawan will start on July 4 and will continue till August 31. There will be eight Sawan Mondays or somwaars instead of the usual four every year.
Considering the importance of the festival among Lord Shiva’s devotees, chief minister Yogi Adityanath issued the directions related to prohibition of meat.
The decision was taken during a review meeting with senior officials, including police commissioners, divisional commissioners, district magistrates and superintendents of police, ahead of the upcoming festival season, an official statement said.
Adityanath said that this year due to “Adhimas” (additional month), the month of Shravan is of two months duration. The festivals of Shravani Shivratri, Nagpanchami and Rakshabandhan will be celebrated during this period, he said.
“The traditional Kanwar Yatra will take place in the holy month of Shravan starting from July 4. Before this, Bakri Eid will be celebrated on June 29. It is clear that this time is sensitive from the point of view of law and order. So, we have to be constantly alert and careful.” he said.
“Respecting the belief of devotees, meat should not be allowed to be sold in the open on the Kanwar route. The route should remain clean and sanitised. There should be provision of streetlights. Since the weather is hot, arrangements of drinking water should also be made,” the CM said.
According to the statement, Adityanath asked the officials to install CCTV cameras on the yatra route and also deploy divers. The places for setting up of Kanwar camps should be marked in advance so that traffic is not obstructed, he ordered.
“Give permission to the organisers of the event. But ensure that everyone follows the rules and regulations,” he said.
“Some mischievous elements may try to unnecessarily provoke people of other communities, keep an eye on such matters. Additional police force should be deployed in sensitive areas. The police force must do foot patrolling everyday in the evening. PRV 112 should remain active, and anarchic elements should be strongly dealt with,” he added.
At the meeting, the chief minister also noted that during Ramzan, traffic was not affected due to religious activities.
“This effort has been appreciated across the country. This time, on the occasion of Bakri Eid and Muharram, we will have to implement the same system. A dialogue should be made with the respective religious leaders/intellectuals in this regard by the local administration,” he said.
He added that the place for the sacrifice on Bakri Eid should be marked in advance.
“Sacrifice should not be done anywhere other than the previously marked place. In any case, make sure that no prohibited animal is sacrificed anywhere. There should be an action plan for the systematic disposal of waste after sacrifice in every district,” he said.
Last year during Shravan, about one crore devotees of Lord Shiva offered worship at Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, and nearly six lakh people visited the temple every Monday during the holy month.
Adityanath said due to “Adhimas” this year, further increase in the number of devotees, who arrive in the state from all over the country, is possible.
Along with Varanasi, the local administration in Ayodhya and Sitapur should also make a systematic action plan in coordination with the temple administration, the statement said.
The CM also directed the officials on the issue of religious conversion of children through gaming/chatting apps.
“Incidents of illegal religious conversions have come to light in many parts of the country in recent times. We are familiar with the incident of conversion of teenage children through online gaming/chatting apps in Ghaziabad. It is very necessary to control such anti-social and anti-national incidents in time,” Adityanath said.
He further stated that the action of illegal religious conversion is being done by an international syndicate.
“This syndicate keeps an eye on disabled children and youths looking for jobs. Financial temptations are also being given. This entire syndicate of illegal religious conversion needs to be wiped out. Prompt action should be taken against any such activity,” he said.
Adityanath directed that senior officers posted at police station, circle, district, range, zone, and division levels should communicate with religious leaders of their respective areas and other eminent people of society. “Issue a positive message for the people. Have a meeting of the peace committee. Take the cooperation of the media, so that an atmosphere of peace and harmony prevails,” he said.
The CM also said that the ‘Safe City Project’ is proving to be extremely useful in fulfilling the promise of women’s safety, respect and self-reliance. “Within the next three months, we will have to develop all the 17 municipal corporations and Gautam Budh Nagar district headquarters as safe cities,” he said.
(With inputs from PTI)
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