PrashantNews
The annual kanwar mela kicked off at the holy city of Haridwar in Uttarakhand on Monday with thousands of kanwarias, the devotees of Lord Shiva, taking bath in the Ganga at Har Ki Pauri and other areas amid tight security arrangements.
State DGP Abhinav Kumar visited Haridwar to supervise the police arrangements and issued necessary directions for the smooth conduct of the Kanwar mela where lakhs of Kanwarias are expected to visit Haridwar and other areas of the hill state during the month long fair. He also held a meeting with top police officers at the Haridwar mela control room.
“It is the responsibility of all of us to make the fair successful without any hindrance through mutual coordination,” Kumar said. He visited areas like Har Ki Pauri, Bairagi Camp, Neeldhara Parking and Shankracharya Chowk to review the security arrangements.
Meanwhile, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel were keeping a close watch in Haridwar where they rescued a couple of kanwarias from drowning in the swollen Ganga.
In a new development, the Supreme Court issued an interim order putting on hold guidelines that asked shopkeepers to display their names during the kanwar mela.