DEHRADUN/HARIDWAR: Uttarakhand government is contemplating a ban on entry of non-Hindus in the 105 ghats of Haridwar spread across an area of 120 sq km, following the demand raised by a few seers and Ganga Sabha, the body overseeing the maintenance of the main Har-ki-Pauri ghat in Haridwar. Besides, the state also plans to declare Rishikesh and Haridwar as ‘sanatan pavitra shehar’ (holy cities).Sources told TOI that the process may be initiated from Ardh Kumbh — scheduled to commence on the occasion of Makar Sankranti on Jan 14, 2027.
They added that the govt has started digging out details of the agreement between Bharat Ratna recipient Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya and the British in 1916. Malviya was the first president of the Ganga Sabha. The 1916 agreement aimed to maintain the uninterrupted flow of the Ganga and preserve the sanctity of the pilgrimage city, which included restrictions on the entry of non-Hindus at Ganga ghats. It further stated that non-Hindus could not have permanent residence in both the religious towns (Rishikesh and Haridwar), and they could only come for work and return after completing their tasks.Sources confirmed that the state govt is “seriously looking to restore the provisions of the original agreement.”Speaking about the matter, CM Pushkar Singh Dhami said, “Our govt will take every necessary step to protect the unique spiritual and cultural identity of Devbhoomi. The Himalayan state is the centre of faith for sanatan believers.” He added that “Haridwar and Rishikesh are major centres of faith”, and consideration is being given to declaring both the places as “sanatan cities”.Notably, Ganga Sabha president, Nitin Gautam, had earlier said, “To maintain Haridwar’s sanctity, the entire Kumbh Mela and Haridwar city should be declared a non-Hindu free zone, and their entry should be banned. All river banks in Haridwar and Rishikesh should be off limits for them.” On Monday, however, Gautam, told TOI that he made that demand in his capacity as the former president (Haridwar) of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, adding that “no resolution on this has been adopted by the Ganga Sabha”.While Ganga Sabha general secretary Tanmay Vashishth remained non-committal on the sensitive matter, its ex-president Ashok Tripathi said he was “not in favour of the demand”. “By-laws of Haridwar nagar palika do ban non-Hindus’ entry into Har-ki-Pauri area, except those on govt duty. But personally, I’m not in favour of any such ban,” Tripathi said.Meanwhile, several residents of Haridwar raised their objections to the demand. “It is neither possible, nor desirable to disallow non-Hindus’ entry in the entire Kumbh area,” said Sudhanshu Dwivedi, a legal practitioner. “Such discrimination will adversely affect the liberal image of our religion,” added Rakesh Chandra, retired hydel department executive engineer.Political parties also weighed in on the matter. Opposing the “blanket ban”, Ashok Sharma, ex-municipal councillor of Congress, said, “Are BJP-RSS bigger Hindus than Madan Mohan Malviya who had sought ban of non-Hindus’ entry only in Har-ki-Pauri?”BJP’s former district president (Haridwar), Sandeep Goel, said, “This (demand) is not our party line…”
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