Onion slices in vegetable curry; kanwariyas damage eatery in UP’s Muzaffarnagar

“The devotees had vowed not to consume onion and garlic during the yatra. They lost their temper when they found onion slices in their vegetable curry. We pacified them and appealed that they should carry on with the yatra,” said Rogent Tyagi, Station House Officer, Chapar police station.

The dhaba owner, Pramod Kumar, a resident of the nearby Perai village, said Friday’s incident was the result of confusion.

“I have been running this dhaba for the last few years and did not know that even onions are prohibited while serving meals to the devotees. I will keep this in mind to save my business from damage,” added Kumar.

“We asked the cook if he was preparing the dish without garlic and onion, and he told us that he wouldn’t be using them while preparing the dish. But despite this, we found onion slices in the curry. We avoid consuming onion and garlic till offering the Holy water to Lord Shiva in our village,” claimed Hari Om, the leader of the kanwar group.

Raju Kumar Sab, Deputy SP (Sadar), said elaborate arrangements have been made to ensure that the devotees do not face any hassle either while walking on the road or having their lunch and dinner. “We will try to ensure that such mistakes are not repeated in the future,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ashutosh Shivam, Deputy SP, Garhmukteshwar (Hapur district), directed restaurant owners selling non-vegetarian food on the Garh-Haridwar highway to not only do away with meat dishes during the 12-day kanwar yatra starting Monday but to also buy new utensils to cook food for devotees during the period.