As per the order, hotels, dhabas and roadside restaurants along the Kanwar Yatra have been asked to display the names, addresses and phone numbers of the owners. (Representative photo/PTI)
News18 visited some famous eateries along the Kanwar Yatra on the Muzaffarnagar-Haridwar highway to know the reaction to the proposal to display the names of the owners. While some companies have furloughed their Muslim employees, others have gone a step further and even displayed employees' Aadhaar cards
Days after Muzaffarnagar police asked all restaurants along the Kanwar Yatra to post the names of their owners, the Uttar Pradesh government is extending the controversial order across the state. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami also said similar instructions had been issued in the hill state.
On the orders of Muzaffarnagar, the hotel, dabas Roadside restaurants along yatra routes have been asked to display the name, address and mobile number of the shop owner. Muzaffarnagar Police said earlier this week that its recommendations during the Kanwar Yatra earlier this week were aimed at avoiding any “chaos”.
“This is done to ensure there is no confusion between the parties. Canvalillas And there will be no law and order situation. Everyone is voluntarily keeping an eye on this,” district police chief Abhishek Singh told reporters at the time.
The order was heavily criticized by opposition parties, who said it targeted Muslim traders.
News18 visited some famous restaurants along the Kanwar Yatra to know how restaurant owners and workers reacted to the order. Our first stop was “Delhi Darbha” on the Muzaffarnagar-Haridwar highway. The owner Dhaba Said they not only showed the names of the owners but also the names of all the employees who worked there along with their phone numbers. All names shown are Hindu.
second Dhaba News18 visited the 'Shiva Tourism Dhaba' on the same route. The restaurant owner placed the order in advance and showed the Aadhaar cards of all the restaurant's employees. They are all Hindus.
When asked if he had ever employed Muslims at the company DhabaThe store owner said four Muslim employees worked there but were either furloughed or fired. When News18 asked him why he did this, the Dhaba owner said that “the government and local police” asked him to ensure that no Muslim employees are present in the store for the next 15 days. However, the government denies making such a condition.
At another restaurant “Veer Ji Da Dhaba”, the Muslim owner Ibrar said he was satisfied with the directive because “it is up to the customers to decide where they want to eat and where not to eat”. But he added that he was worried about losing business and customers in the coming days. He employed seven Muslims and nine Hindus in his factory. Dhaba. “Most likely, I will close Dhaba “I will stay for a few days and then go on vacation because business will be slow anyway,” he told News18.
News18 also spoke to a group of Kanwar Yatris to know their reaction after the order was issued. Most Yatris said they were happy with the decision and said it would help them make informed choices, while some others said it didn't matter where they ate as devotion came first bit. However, they all said one issue that should be investigated is alleged price exploitation Dhaba owner period Yatra season. Some Atris explain Dhaba Owners tend to increase food and water prices during the season.
