'We Muslims always ... ': Mosques covered to 'prevent trouble' on kanwar route removed

NEW DELHI: Mosques and mazars that were covered on Friday to "prevent trouble" on kanwar route was later removed in Haridwar . The sheets were draped over bamboo scaffolding in front of two mosques and a mazar in the Jwalapur area.

The move to remove the sheets came after objections were raised from several quarters including some kanwariyas calling it "unnecessary" along with the head of the mosque who said that the move was "unprecedented."

Many Congress leaders also attacked the BJP government in Uttarakhand calling it a "contempt of Supreme Court."

"The order to put curtains on mosques and mazars on the kanwar yatra route in Haridwar district, whoever has issued it, goes against the Supreme Court which has put a stay on an order which asked hotel and restaurant owners and fruit vendors on the route to display their names, caste and religious identity," said Uttarakhand Congress vice president Suryakant Dhasmana.

He further took a jibe at the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections saying that the BJP's "discriminatory politics" had been rejected.

"The message it has missed is that the entire country is one. BJP's divisive and discriminatory politics has been rejected. But the party is not learning," Dhasmana said.

Criticising the order to cover a religious site, Congress leader and former minister Naeem Qureshi said, "We Muslims always welcome Shiv bhakts (devotees) for the kanwar fair and arrange refreshments for them at various places. This has been an example of harmony between Hindus and Muslims in Haridwar, and there has never been a tradition of curtains."

“This has been done so that there is no unnecessary excitement or provocation from any side and the yatra runs smoothly,” Uttarakhand cabinet minister Satpal Maharaj said.