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The annual Kanwar Yatra, a sacred pilgrimage drawing millions of devotees, is underway but marred by incidents of violence and lawlessness.
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00:00Let's turn from there to our other big focus today.
00:05The coward Yatra, the sacred pilgrimage that draws millions of devotees, is now fully underway.
00:11But amidst the chants and religious fervor on the streets, a darker side has been emerging over the years.
00:18Devotion of faith is now turning into lawlessness, often into outright hooliganism.
00:23Violent clashes, road rage, vandalism are being reported along the Yatra route.
00:28And in many cases, innocent bystanders are bearing the brunt, from dhaba owners to car owners.
00:36As you will see in this story, the question that I want to raise today,
00:40what happens to faith when it turns into hooliganism?
00:45Is violence being normalized during the coward Yatra?
00:49And why is the government, both in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, not acting against these Yatris?
00:55Take a look first at this report.
00:58The coward Yatra, the annual pilgrimage to Haridwar, is on.
01:12Religious fervor is rising.
01:15But so is lawlessness on the streets by a few Yatris.
01:18In Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffar Nagar, a man was thrashed by a group of coward Yats after an accident involving his motorcycle.
01:28They assaulted him and vandalized his bike.
01:30In another shocking incident near Haridwar, coward Yats got into a scuffle with a car driver on the Roorkee State Highway.
01:55The pilgrims alleged his car hit a holy kalash.
02:00The situation soon spiraled out of control.
02:03The police have arrested three individuals for the assault.
02:07And it's not just road rage.
02:11On July 8th, a group of cowardiyas vandalized a dhaba on the telly Dehradun Highway.
02:18Alleging the food served to them, meant to be sattvic, contained onions.
02:26In a shocking act, they mercilessly thrashed up the staff members, even as they pleaded to be let off.
02:33My husband and my husband, my husband and my husband, my husband and my husband were able to take it away.
03:03While arrangements are meticulously made for the Kavadi Yatra, from free food to tight
03:11security, many incidents of violence are also reported in which the common citizen bears
03:18the brunt of unchecked aggression.
03:20What's even more shocking is that other Kavadiya's defend this behaviour.
03:26With the police and authorities handling such violence with kit gloves, many others are
03:42emboldened to do the same.
03:45Pitashitosh Mishra, Bureau Report, India Today.
03:54Let's raise the big questions then, who will check this gunda-ism and I'm calling that
03:57gunda-ism by the Kavadiya's.
04:00Police handling vandals with kit gloves, dadagiri replacing faith, hooligans giving devotees a
04:07bad name.
04:08Joining me now, Sriraj Nayar is spokesperson Vishwa Hindu Parishat, Vikram Singh is former
04:13DGPUP and Anand Kumar is sociologist, he also had set up a group that promoted communal harmony.
04:20Appreciate all of you joining us on the show today.
04:23I want to come to you Sriraj Nayar first.
04:26How do you explain this hooliganism of the Kavadiya's?
04:31Different incident, not just one stray isolated incident and it's been happening year after
04:35year.
04:36Cars being bashed, dhabas being broken and a general sense that they can get away with this
04:41lawlessness.
04:42What is your response?
04:44Is this a classic example of faith being overtaken by rampant hooliganism?
04:50Well Rajiv, I was seeing on your screen a couple of incidences.
05:00Now Kavadiya Atra has been taking place for centuries and the incidences which we have shown,
05:08that's supposed to be from UP or from Uttarakhand.
05:10All three governments from Delhi, Uttarakhand and UP have BJP government and are known for
05:18strict law and order.
05:19In UP, the government has eliminated a lot of big dons and criminals.
05:25Now anybody who is taking law in the hand, whether it is, anybody for that instance should be
05:31brought to books and we as Vishwa Hindu Parishad, we believe in discipline and we believe there
05:36are, these are some stray incidences.
05:38And let the law and order of UP check what exactly the incidences before we jump the gun.
05:45Sir, you are saying these are stray incidences, but they are happening year after year.
05:51The fact is that the same cowardly atras, you know, they are given VIP treatment, they are
05:56being given free food, there were rose petals showered on them not too long ago.
06:01I mean, they seem to believe that they can get away with it.
06:04Why are they then doing it?
06:05Or they are unemployed youth who are totally lumpenized and simply seduced by consumerized
06:11religiosity.
06:12Listen Rajiv, the way, listen Rajiv, recently we saw UP hosting Kumbh Mela, crores of people
06:22came in and they went from where they came.
06:25Now these are all not organized yatras.
06:27Who comes, we don't know.
06:29So that is the reason I am saying, who were these people?
06:32Let the process go.
06:35Law and order is there in UP.
06:37Let them check who were these people.
06:39Now all these incidents which you show on your camera, we don't stand by it.
06:45We condemn this kind of incidences, but at the same time straight away blaming cowardly
06:51us.
06:52We are jumping the gun.
06:53Who are they?
06:54Who are they?
06:55They are cowardly.
06:56I am not straight away blaming them.
06:58They are cowardly us.
07:00I take your point that a few people may well be giving a bad name to the entire yatra.
07:06Rajiv, there are con men everywhere.
07:08There are con men who pose as reporters also.
07:11Okay.
07:12There are con men everywhere in the society posing as cough, posing as reporters.
07:16Now who are these people?
07:17Whether they are real cowardly us or who pose as cowardly us.
07:21So let…
07:22Okay.
07:23We have Vikram Singh Ji here.
07:24We have seen several insistence people, you know, jihad is posing as cow vigilantes and
07:31blaming on the bhajrang dal.
07:33So similarly, this could be one of these incidences.
07:35So let us not jump the gun.
07:36Okay.
07:37I have taken your point.
07:38Let the process of law and order go.
07:39Just hold on.
07:40Let there be proper investigation.
07:42Okay.
07:43You are saying that you do believe that these instances are to be condemned.
07:47I have taken your point.
07:48Let Professor Anand Kumar respond.
07:49Professor Anand Kumar, do you believe as Sriraj Nair said this yatra has been taking place
07:54for centuries?
07:55Has something fundamentally changed?
07:57Because dare I say religion and state power have come together.
08:01So the Yathris, many of them young youth who possibly are unemployed, feel a sense of empowerment.
08:07This is their moment in the sun.
08:08They can get away with anything.
08:09They are VIPs.
08:10It is true that there has been a tradition of walking from one secret place to another
08:17secret place and connecting death with some kind of ritual and some kind of practice.
08:25But if you compare with the 70s, in the last 30 years, it has become a public spectacle.
08:32There has been a competition between various parties, not only government but parties to
08:39felicitate these kamadhyas.
08:41And these kamadhyas are a mixed group.
08:44There are people who are faithful people, faithful Hindus.
08:48But there are people who think that Hinduism and hooliganism can go together.
08:52They think that when they are walking, they monopolize the whole public space called roads.
08:58And nobody should walk their way.
09:00Nobody should come in their way.
09:02And then they have a right to beat them, punish them.
09:05So I'm happy that Vishwindu Parishali spokesperson condemns this kind of attitude.
09:10But there has to be a real tough positioning.
09:14There is a softness about it.
09:17You know, people walk around all over the country, in south, north, east, west, from
09:21one place to another place.
09:23And this has been a way of expressing your faith and your commitment.
09:27But kamadhyas in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh have become more aggressive.
09:32And this is something which has to be looked into very carefully.
09:35If you ignore it, you will be ignoring some kind of a trend which is equating Hinduism with
09:41Hooliganism.
09:42Was it very different, Anand Kumar ji, earlier?
09:44Do you believe it was very different?
09:46Has something changed in the last few years now that you have a party in power in the BJP,
09:54which has openly said, we will wear our religiosity on our sleeves?
09:59Does that make a difference?
10:01No, this is some kind of a negative assertion of your identity.
10:06Religious identity is an important factor in culture of every community.
10:10Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs.
10:13But the way kamadhyas are behaving in this area, around capital region,
10:19I have been a student in 70s and I taught in 90s and 80s.
10:23I think there is a radical difference.
10:25There is open patronage and there is open benign neglect of misbehavior by some of the kamadhyas.
10:32They are advised by the traffic police itself, don't go that way, sir.
10:35Please turn your car around because kamadhyas are ahead of you.
10:39Is this a real practice or it is something which is being…
10:45You made an important word which I want to take to Vikram Singh, open patronage.
10:49Vikram Singh, there is a sense that the kamadhyas are now given complete patronage by the state.
10:54All the lines between state and religion have got blurred.
10:58The state, as I said, showers them with petals, free food.
11:01The roads are opened up for them.
11:03Does that make the police's task that much more difficult if you have to actually act against them seriously?
11:10Asdeep and gentlemen, good evening.
11:13The job of the police was never easy.
11:15And wherever you have crowds, political patronage is a compulsion.
11:19And I feel that irrespective of any political party, they would like to patronize wherever there is a gathering,
11:25irrespective of which community.
11:27Whether it is kamadhyas, whether it is kumbh, or whether it is mohram, or whether it is idgah.
11:32All such congregations are patronized by political people.
11:36But the police have a job at hand.
11:38They should see to it that no such ugly incident takes place.
11:41Whether it is by kamadhyas or anybody else, they should have planned these arrangements.
11:45I have done them for years, requires meticulous planning.
11:48And now you have the luxury of the drone technology.
11:50You could have the drone technology.
11:52You could have plain clothes men and women.
11:54Who could have absolutely been merged with the crowds.
11:57Anticipated something.
11:58No, but are they treated as...
11:59No, no, sir.
12:00But, you know, the police, I know, has to do...
12:02Are they given special privileges now?
12:05Because, as I said, the lines you have, for example, in Uttar Pradesh,
12:11a Hindu monk, who is the chief minister of the state.
12:17Who has openly endorsed the kawadhyatras as a spiritual journey.
12:22And therefore, the kawadhyas perhaps feel that they have got complete support from the state.
12:28Yes, there are anti-social elements in every community.
12:32But this seems to be more people drunk on par.
12:35You destroy a dhaba because you claim that onions were being served in the food.
12:39You break someone's car because it's touched by...
12:42It seems that they believe they can get away.
12:44Where does that impunity come from is all I'm asking.
12:48My answer to your very specific question is that impunity comes from the fact that the police could have done their job much better.
12:55I have handled these positions for years together.
12:58And nothing like this happened ever.
13:00Because there was planning and there was meticulous planning.
13:02And we did not have anything taken by chance or allowed the grass to grow underneath our feet.
13:07The planning was such that no lumpen elements would ever, unless he had suicidal tendencies, would do a thing like that.
13:14Now, perhaps to your question, two or three dimensions have added now.
13:18Like shouting them with flower petals.
13:21This again, something very, very simple.
13:24But it gives a signal that perhaps they have a special status.
13:27The very fact that this posturing has happened also tends to embolden the people, especially those who would like to take the law in their own hands.
13:36I would have been very happy that every sick person who has transgressed the rule of law is taken to task and given exemplary punishment.
13:44Unfortunately, that has not happened either in Muharram festivals or also in the Kawan Bela.
13:49Irrespective of the festival, the law should be unsparing and all those who break the law should be taken to task and given a lesson for a lifetime.
13:56But that is not happening. I am sorry to say that.
13:59But I am very, Srirad Nayar, you are very clear that all these people should be given the strictest punishment. Am I clear?
14:06Yes, there has to be proper investigation and it is the police's duty to find out who the real culprits are.
14:18The real culprits are whether they are real kawadiyas or their conmen that have that job is the police's job.
14:24No, no, no, Mr. Nayar, how can you say they are not the culprits? We are catching them on camera.
14:27So, anybody who takes the law and order in their hands should be punished, of course.
14:32Okay.
14:33You can't say that they are not the real culprits.
14:36As far as Hindu dharma is concerned, whether Shabaribala yatra, Wari or Kawadi yatra, all are pure and pious yatras.
14:44But categorically, I am saying, let there be investigation. Let us not dump the guns.
14:51Whether they were real kawadiyas or criminals posing as kawadiyas, let there be investigation.
14:57Okay. Let there be investigation.
14:59Because let us not go in for a media trial. I condemn violence in any form.
15:04Okay.
15:05Definitely. But it's a big congregation. Large number of people coming in.
15:12And let the police check. Let the police investigate.
15:15If they are not, they should be punished.
15:18Okay. I will ask. Let me ask Professor Anand Kumar one final question.
15:22Professor, is this lumpanization of our youth? In many cases, we found them to be unemployed youth.
15:27They get a sense of empowerment by going on the kawadiyatra. According to Shiraj Raya, they may not be actual kawadiyas.
15:33They may be disguised as kawadiyas to give the kawadiyatra a bad name. What will you say?
15:39Rajdeep ji, it is, in a way, vulgarization of culture. It is not only kawadiyas.
15:48Throughout the year, if you make a calendar of events and activities, there are people who are collecting donations on the highways in the name of Saraswati Puja, Durga Puja, Kali Puja, Dashara, Diwali.
16:02And, of course, there are other religious groups, but they are not so dominant, so daring.
16:08So, it is something which has to be noted. It should not be put on the police.
16:12How can police get into the bio data of every person who happens to be a kawadiyan?
16:17It has to be both the cultural leadership must take responsibility and then administration comes into play.
16:24I think Vikram Singh ji has something to say.
16:27I am going to leave it there. Vikram Singh ji, you want to add 30 seconds very quickly.
16:32Absolutely. It is the job of the police to be proactive and to anticipate the incident.
16:38And in these cases, where there is spotters at the dhaba or at the vandalization or the attack on the car, which is including as lady drivers,
16:45there can be no question that it is incontrovertible evidence and they should be booked under the NSA also.
16:50Okay. Let me leave it there. Certainly, we won't see bulldozers at their house, I fear.
16:56And I don't want to say more than that, but if you are going to have a uniform law,
17:02I don't believe that bulldozers should be there in the first place when they short circuit the law, go through the entire process.
17:08But you can't have bulldozers for one community and rose petals for another if those individuals are involved in criminal activities.
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