Angered By Onion Slices In Food Despite Cook's Assurance, Kanwariyas Vandalise Dhaba In UP's Muzaffarnagar — All About It

A group of kanwariyas from Haryana allegedly vandalised a roadside dhaba in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar district on Friday (19 July) after claiming they found onion slices in the food.

The incident occurred at ‘Tau Hukkewalah Haryanvi Tourist Dhaba’ on the Delhi-Haridwar highway in the Sisauna block of Muzaffarnagar district.

The kanwariyas, en route to Haridwar to collect Ganga water, stopped at the eatery for lunch.

After allegedly finding onion slices in the vegetable curry served to them, the kanwariyas assaulted the dhaba workers and damaged the furniture and the refrigerator.

They also ran after the cook who scampered to safety.

“The devotees had vowed not to consume onion and garlic during the yatra. They lost their temper when they found onion slices in their vegetable curry. We pacified them and appealed that they should carry on with the yatra,” said Rogent Tyagi, Station House Officer, Chapar police station, Indian Express reported.

Pramod Kumar, the dhaba owner and a resident of the nearby Perai village, attributed the incident to a misunderstanding.

“I have been running this dhaba for the last few years and did not know that even onions are prohibited while serving meals to the devotees. I will keep this in mind to save my business from damage,” added Kumar.

“We asked the cook if he was preparing the dish without garlic and onion, and he told us that he wouldn’t be using them while preparing the dish. But despite this, we found onion slices in the curry. We avoid consuming onion and garlic till offering the Holy water to Lord Shiva in our village,” claimed Hari Om, the leader of the kanwar group.

Deputy SP (Sadar) Raju Kumar Sab said that elaborate arrangements have been made to ensure the devotees do not face difficulties during their pilgrimage.

“We will try to ensure that such mistakes are not repeated in the future,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ashutosh Shivam, Deputy SP of Garhmukteshwar (Hapur district), has directed restaurant owners along the Garh-Haridwar highway to refrain from serving meat dishes during the 12-day kanwar yatra starting from Monday (22 July). The restaurants owners have also been advised to buy new utensils for preparing food for the devotees during this period.

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