Kanwar Yatra Name Plate Controversy: During the Kanwar Yatra, Muzaffarnagar Police first ordered to write the full name of the shopkeeper on the boards of carts, fruit carts, and shops set up on the way, after which a debate broke out on this matter across the country. Then after this, the controversy deepened further after the order of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to install nameplates. Amidst all this, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind has declared to challenge the order in the court, calling it discriminatory and communal. The organization says that this order exploits religious sentiments to promote divisive politics. On Sunday, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind called an important meeting to discuss the issue. The organization has called the order related to Kanwar Yatra discriminatory and divisive and is examining the legal aspects of the directive.
Violation of fundamental rights
On Saturday, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind criticised the order for shopkeepers along the Kanwar Yatra route to put up nameplates, calling it a violation of fundamental rights. The directive affects all hotels, dhabas and street vendors along the 240-km-long Kanwar Yatra route in Muzaffarnagar district, under which they will have to display the names of owners or workers. On July 19, the UP government implemented the order across the state.
Jamiat-Ulama-e-Hind general secretary Mohammad Hakimuddin Qasmi says, “Jamiat-Ulama-e-Hind has always extended hospitality during the Kanwar Yatra. At places like Banaras, Muzaffarnagar and Shamli, from where the Kanwar Yatra pilgrims used to set out, we used to welcome them. We used to give them fruits, water and serve them. The decision that has been taken now is very irresponsible and wrong.”
Delhi: Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, General Secretary Mohammad Hakimuddin Qasmi says, “During the Kanwar Yatra, the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind always extended hospitality. In places like Banaras, Muzaffarnagar, and Shamli, in various neighborhoods from where Kanwar Yatra participants used to… pic.twitter.com/L6ROLcgI7a
— IANS (@ians_india) July 21, 2024
Statement of Maulana Arshad Madani
Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind president Maulana Arshad Madani called the order to install nameplates “discriminatory and communal”. He expressed concern that such a decision could provide an opportunity to anti-national elements and cause serious damage to communal harmony. Madani stressed that the Indian Constitution gives all citizens the freedom to wear clothes and eat as per their choice and any interference in personal choice is a violation of fundamental rights. He called the order a violation of the fundamental rights of citizens.