Darul Uloom Deoband urges students to avoid Kanwar Yatra routes

Saharanpur: Darul Uloom Deoband, the prominent Islamic seminary, has issued a special advisory for its students during the ongoing Kanwar Yatra, asking them to avoid unnecessary movement on Kanwar routes and crowded areas as a precautionary measure.

In a written order issued on Wednesday evening, August 5, hostel in-charge Maulana Ashraf Abbas said the advisory has been issued to ensure the safety of students and maintain discipline during the annual pilgrimage.

Students have been advised to avoid unnecessary travel, particularly on Kanwar routes and the GT Road, and to venture out only if absolutely essential.

It further states that no student will be allowed to enter the campus after sunset without producing the institution-issued identity card. The seminary said the measures are intended to ensure security and orderly movement during the Kanwar Yatra.

The advisory comes at a time when the yatra, which runs until August 11 this year, has seen a string of violent incidents. In Lucknow, a group of Kanwariyas allegedly attacked a school van carrying primary students, smashing its windows on August 3. 

Police said no children were injured and that those responsible had been identified through CCTV footage. In Haridwar, a group of devotees was filmed beating up a car occupant and vandalising his vehicle after a minor collision with their carriages, an assault that reportedly continued when he later reached Meerut.

Such episodes are not new to the Kanwar Yatra season, which repeatedly draws criticism over incidents of communal targeting along the pilgrimage routes, including vandalism aimed at Muslim-owned shops, eateries and vehicles. 

Traders in towns along the route have in past years reported being pressured to shut shop or cover shopfronts during the yatra. Local administrations in some districts have also issued orders restricting operations for the duration of the pilgrimage.