Muzaffarnagar (UP): Along with the teams of local police, Rapid Action Force (RAF), the district administration has also deployed commandos of Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) of Uttar Pradesh police along the Kanwar route to avoid any untoward incident.
“ATS commandos have been posted at Shiv chowk in Muzaffarnagar where kanwariyas from Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and different districts of UP will pass while returning from Haridwar and performing parikrama. Sensitive places near Shiv Chowk have been handed over to ATS commandos to avoid any untoward incident,” Senior Superintendent of Police Abhishek Singh told reporters on Saturday.
He said a team of RAF, six teams of PAC (Provincial Armed Constabulary) and ATS commandos have been deployed in the district for security.
Controversy broke out after the Muzaffarnagar police issued an order to restaurants, fruit shops, roadside dhabas and hotel owners to display their names in front of the shops in order to identify which religious community they belong to. According to the police, the primary objective of this step is to conduct the Kanwar Yatra in a peaceful manner.
The order took a hit at the local businesses as many Muslims, including Hindus belonging to financially poor backgrounds, lost their jobs.
Kanwar yatra began on Jul 22.
(With PTI inputs)
