Security beefed up in UP's Muzaffarnagar for Kanwar Yatra: Official

Authorities in Muzaffarnagar have made elaborate security arrangements for the upcoming Kanwar Yatra, officials said on Thursday.

As part of the yatra, kanwariyas (devotees of Lord Shiva) from different parts of the country collect water from the Ganga river at Haridwar, Uttarakhand to offer at Shiva temples back home.

The yatra is scheduled to be held from July 14 to July 26 this year after a gap of two years due to the Covid pandemic. A huge influx of kanwariyas is being anticipated this time owing to the two-year break.

The district has been divided into 80 sectors and over 5,000 police and paramilitary personnel will be deployed to prevent any untoward incident during the yatra, Senior Superintendent of Police, Vineet Jaiswal told reporters.

Senior police and administration officers from neighbouring districts of Muzaffarnagar as well as Haridwar held a joint meeting on Wednesday and discussed the traffic diversion plan for the yatra.

It was also decided in the meeting that was held in Haridwar that CCTV cameras will be installed at key points along the route of the yatra, they said.