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Police in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar, in a fresh advisory on Thursday, made it "voluntary" for eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display names of their owners following a backlash from the opposition and NDA allies.
In a post on X, Muzaffarnagar Police said its intention was not to create any kind of religious discrimination but only to facilitate the devotees passing through Muzaffarnagar district and prevent any untoward situation.
Muzaffarnagar falls between Delhi and Haridwar along the Kanwar Yatra route.
"During the holy month of Shravan, many people, especially Kanwariyas, abstain from certain food items in their diet," the Muzaffarnagar Police stated.
"In the past, such instances have come to light where some shopkeepers selling all types of food items on Kanwar Marg named their shops in such a way that it created confusion among the Kanwariyas and created a law and order situation. To prevent such a recurrence, hotels, dhabas and shopkeepers selling food items on Kanwar Marg have been requested to voluntarily display the names of their owners and employees... This system has been prevalent in the past, too," the advisory further said.
The fresh advisory came after the administration's earlier order asking eateries, including roadside carts, to display the names of the owners in front of their shops faced severe criticism. Police personnel had also started to enforce the order.
Slamming the Uttar Pradesh police, AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi likened the move to "apartheid" in South Africa and "Judenboycott" in Hitler's Germany.
"As per the order of the Uttar Pradesh Police, now every food shop or cart owner will have to put his name on the board so that no Kanwariya buys anything from a Muslim shop by mistake," Owaisi tweeted.
Samajwadi Party MP and president Akhilesh Yadav urged the court to take suo motu cognisance and investigate the intentions of the government behind such an order and take appropriate punitive action.
"Such orders are social crimes. The government wants to spoil the peaceful atmosphere," he said.
Darul Uloom spokesperson Maulana Sufiyan Nizami said such communal bias was wrong and politics should not be done on it.
"No religion discriminates against other religions, so this order is wrong. Muslims also make arrangements for Kanwar pilgrims and when Tazias are taken out, Hindu brothers also help. There is a need to ensure that brotherhood is maintained," Nizami said.
