A section of Hindu seers on Wednesday urged the Uttarakhand government to ban non-Hindus from participating in the Kanwar Yatra or running businesses along the route to "maintain religious sanctity."
Members of Bharat Sadhu Samaj and Hindu Raksha Sena, in a meeting in Haridwar, made the request.
Earlier, senior Mahamandaleshwar Swami Yatindranand Giri of the Juna Akhara wrote a letter to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami regarding this matter.
After the meeting, Hindu Raksha Sena chief Mahamandaleshwar Swami Prabodhanand demanded that non-Hindus should be identified and be banned from carrying Kanwar on the Yatra route.
"The administration should also identify non-Hindus operating eateries along the route," he said.
Along with this, he also appealed to Shiva devotees not to carry 'kanwar' made by non-Hindus.
Kanwar is a portable frame, usually made from bamboo, to carry water from the Ganga River in the containers attached to it on either end.
Prabodhanand said, "If Hindus cannot make Kanwar themselves, then they should carry a vessel tied to a stick with a rope so that the purity of Ganga water is maintained.
© 2025