Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi strongly criticized in Agra the police order to display the names of eatery owners on the route of Kanwar pilgrims in Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh. This is a violation of the Constitution.

Creating division in society in the name of religion and caste is a violation of the Constitution. This order should be withdrawn immediately and strict action should be taken against the officials who issued it,” read her post on X, formerly Twitter.

“Our Constitution guarantees every citizen that he will not be discriminated against on the basis of caste, religion, language or any other basis. The divisive order to put up name boards of the owners of carts, kiosks and shops in Uttar Pradesh is an attack on our Constitution, our democracy and our shared heritage,” read a rough translation of the Hindi post.

There was an order by the police administration that all food shops should prominently display the name of their owner to avoid brahmins during religious processions.

Preparations have begun for the kanwar yatra. In the area under our jurisdiction, which is around 240 km, all eateries, hotels, dhabas, and thelas (roadside carts) have been instructed to display the names of their proprietors or those running the shop. This is being done to ensure that there’s no confusion among the kanwariyas and no allegations are raised in the future, leading to a law and order situation. Everyone is following this of their own free will,” said Abhishek Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police, Muzaffarnagar.

AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi says that this step is to ensure that no Kanwariya buys anything from a shop owned by a Muslim.

The Opposition linked the move to “apartheid” in South Africa and policies in Hitler’s Germany.

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As the controversy grew, the police clarified in a statement that the intention of the order was not to create any kind of “religious discrimination” but only to facilitate the devotees.

Kanwar Yatra will start on 22nd July, it is considered an annual journey of the devotees of Lord Shiva.