Six kanwariyas killed in road accidents as pilgrim rush surges

Six pilgrims were killed and nearly 20 injured in road accidents as the rush of kanwariyas significantly increased Sunday on the Kanwar Yatra routes, especially the Delhi-Dehradun highway and the Ganga Canal road, during the final leg of the pilgrimage.

- PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

Thousands of kanwariyas (Lord Shiva devotees), heading back from Haridwar in Uttarakhand with 'Gangajal', were greeted by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath with a helicopter showering flowers on them in Muzaffarnagar. Authorities have implemented tight security measures along the Kanwar Yatra routes.

The Yatra concludes July 23, when the pilgrims will return home after offering the holy water from the Ganges at Shiva temples on their way. As he welcomed the pilgrims, CM Adityanath claimed that some people were trying to defame the Kanwar Yatra on social media and urged every 'Kanwar Sangh' to expose such troublemakers.

Addressing an event, Adityanath said, "Troublemakers have resorted to defame this holy pilgrimage... We have CCTV footage of all of them. We are going to paste their posters after this (Kanwar Yatra) is over."