Seven Kanwariyas, who thrashed and kicked a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan at Mirzapur railway station in Uttar Pradesh, have been arrested. A shocking CCTV video of the incident has gone viral.
The CCTV footage shows a group of Kanwariyas, who are devotees of Lord Shiva, punching and stomping on the CRPF jawan as the crowd watches. The group had an argument with the jawan over buying tickets, according to local reports.
The CRPF jawan, identified as Gautam Kumar from Khutha, Dehat Kotwali, was going to board the Brahmaputra Mail when the attack occurred while the Kanwariyas were also boarding the same train to go to Baidyanath Dham. They argued over who should get the ticket first, following which the assault occurred.
Later, the Railway Protection Force nabbed the seven Kanwariyas and registered a case against three of them. They were identified as Satyam, Abhishek Sahu and Abhay Tiwari. The CRPF jawan, who was heading to Manipur, later boarded the Brahmaputra Express, according to Live Hindustan.
The annual Kanwar Yatra, which kicked off on July 11, will end on July 23 and the pilgrimage falls on the month of Sawan. Kanwariyas, often clad in saffron, walk barefoot and carry the sacred Ganga water in kanwars (pitchers) during the pilgrimage as they head to Shiva temples.
The latest incident comes a week after group of Kanwariyas ransacked a roadside eatery in Muzaffarnagar after they found a piece of onion in the meal. They also allegedly attacked the employees and took cash before fleeing. There were also reports of pilgrims attacking drivers and damaging their vehicles over minor accidents. In one case, a Haryana motorist was assaulted in Roorkee after his car grazed against a devotee.