Haridwar tense amid Kanwar Yatra: Woman assaulted by pilgrims; cops urge calm, promise probe

HARIDWAR: A 40-year-old woman was allegedly assaulted by a group of kanwariyas near Rishikul in Haridwar when her scooty grazed past a kanwar (pot) on Sunday night.Pankaj Gairola, SP (Haridwar city), said, "The assaulted woman is yet to file a formal complaint. However, we've ordered the local police station to collect her details for further action."A purported video, in which a group of 7-8 kanwariyas, including a woman, could be seen engaging in a verbal spat with the victim (whose face is not clearly visible) and then pulling her hair and physically attacking her, was widely circulated on social media platforms. The identity of the victim was not revealed by cops.Meanwhile, in a separate incident, police arrested two kanwariyas for vandalising a mobile shop in Haridwar."The two kanwariyas have been identified as Mukesh alias Jhandu (34) and Mukesh alias Kana (20). Both belong to Fatehabad, Haryana. An FIR was registered against them under BNS sections 126 (wrongful restraint) and 135 (assault or use of criminal force), among others." The shop vandalism incident may have been caused due to a price dispute, police added.In yet another incident, kanwariyas breached a police barrier near Rishikul whilst attempting to access the Delhi-Haridwar highway on Monday, requiring police intervention to direct them towards the designated kanwar route.Following the spate of violations by kanwariyas, Haridwar SSP Pramendra Dobhal issued an appeal urging kanwariyas to cooperate with local police and "not defame the sacred yatra". He warned that "action will be taken against anyone found creating trouble along the kanwar route."A local said the administration did not allow kanwariyas to use Delhi-Haridwar highway for the yatra, but kanwariyas seemed to have occupied half of the road already, despite the designated path. The administration plans to open the highway for them "after about a week of the yatra's commencement".