After accident, pilgrims turn violent

While Mahender Singh, a resident of Dharuhera, died on the spot, Sunil of Taouru village and Balram of Dharuhera village were admitted to a local hospital with fractures. The third injured was discharged after first-aid.

Immediately after the accident, the mob in a fit of anger, torched the trailer and the Haryana Roadways bus. Soon afterwards villagers from the nearby Rampura village gathered at the spot and along with the Kanwarias blocked traffic for nearly three hours.

When the police reached the spot, they set ablaze their vehicle as well. Says Ram Prasad, head constable of Sadar police station: “It took us nearly three hours to reach the spot as there was a massive traffic jam. When we reached there at around 7 am, there was still a large mob there. They immediately pounced on us and set ablaze the police Gypsy too. It was only after senior officials arrived at the spot that the situation was brought under control.”

Normalcy on the busy highway was restored after several hours and police had to divert the traffic. The police said that while the bus and the police Gypsy were completely gutted, only the rear portion of the trailer was burnt. However, three Maruti cars loaded in the trailer were burnt.

The police has registered a case against the errant driver as well as the mob, however no arrests have been made so far.

For the past one week, the Delhi-Mathura highway has been witness to various such incidents involving Kanwarias. July, for most people using the highways and by-pass roads, has come to mean traffic blockades and violence.

“It has become a usual feature for the Kanwarias to get involved in brawls with scooterists, motorists and even passers-by at the drop of a hat,” said the Deputy Commissioner (Faridabad) B.K. Panigrahi. They make an issue out of nothing and get indulge in fights with the local residents and office-goers, blocking traffic on the highway, he added. This morning the Kanwarias blocked the Delhi-Mathura highway near Bata Chowk for two hours, last Friday traffic was disrupted for over four hours near the Badkal More.

And the reason which led to such incidents was the same in both cases. On Friday a bucket of sacred Ganga jal was spilt after a Kanwaria was hit by a scooterist, Vinod Garg, near the Badkal More.“ Soon after the infuriated group of Kanwarias beat up Garg. When a few passers-by intervened, the incident escalated into a brawl,” said a district official.

The Kanwarias squatted on the road demanding that a Police Gypsy be provided to take them back to Hardwar. The police were not willing to oblige the unruly Kanwarias. And the tussle between the Police and the Kanwarias went on for four hours.

“How can the district authority arrange for a Police Gypsy for them to bring water from Hardwar,” said the DC. The traffic on the busy highway started moving only after the Kanwarias were provided with a vehicle to take them to Hardwar by a local religious organisation.

In the melee, some Kanwarias took away Garg’s scooter. While Garg’s scooter is still untraceable, the police has not filed any case regarding the stolen vehicle fearing further repercussion from the Kanwarias and other Shiv Bhakts.

This morning at the Bata Chowk Kanwarias went berserk when one of their companions met with the similar fate. The Ganga jal was spilt when a scooterist hit the pilgrim. The scooterist was beaten up and traffic was disrupted for two hours on the highway.

Last year, on the same highway, near Ballabhgarh, a serious brawl took place when the Kanwarias beat up a police party and a Deputy Superintendent of Police in the district. Apart from the Deputy Superintendent of Police,several Kanwarias and passers-by were injured in the fight.