Janhit: Kanwar Yatra Purity or Prejudice? Muzaffarnagar Incident Raises Alarms | ABP NEWS

With Saavan starting on July 11, tensions have reignited ahead of the Kanwar Yatra. A dhaba worker in Muzaffarnagar, who initially identified himself as “Gopal,” has now been revealed to be Tajammul, a Muslim. His Aadhaar card confirms this, raising controversy over whether Muslim vendors are concealing identities under Hindu names to avoid backlash. Reports claim the dhaba owner, a Hindu woman named Diksha Sharma, allegedly asked the worker to use a Hindu name to prevent objections from right-wing groups. This comes after Swami Yashvir, a mahant from Yog Sadhana Ashram, claimed the dhaba was Muslim-owned. That claim, too, is now proven false. Political leaders like AIMIM's Asaduddin Owaisi and SP’s ST Hasan likened the incident to terror tactics, referencing the Pahalgam attack where victims were asked their religion before being attacked. The comparison has sparked a fierce debate over religious profiling and vigilantism. Despite the Supreme Court’s 2024 ruling that nameplates are optional, UP and UK governments had reissued directives requiring name and food-type displays. The Kanwar Yatra, deeply tied to faith, has now become a battleground of identity, law, and politics—where communal suspicion threatens sacred traditions.

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