May spread 'disease of untouchability': BJP leader Naqvi on police's Kanwar yatra order
New Delhi (PTI): In the backdrop of the Muzaffarnagar police's order asking eateries on the Kanwar yatra route to display their owners' names, senior BJP leader and former Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Thursday said it may spread the "disease of untouchability".
In an apparent reference to the orders, Naqvi said on X, "Kuch ati-utsahi adhikariyon ke aadesh hadbadi mein gadbadi wali... asprishyata ki bimari ko badhawa de sakte hain... astha ka samman hona chahiye, par asprishyata ka sanrakshan nahi hona chahiye (the hasty orders of some overzealous officials may spread the disease of untouchability...Faith must be respected, but untouchability must not be encouraged)."
In another post, Naqvi also hit out at some online trolls for his earlier post.
"Don't give me a certificate of respect and devotion for Kanwad Yatra, I always believe that 'no faith should be hostage to intolerance and untouchability'," Naqvi said in Hindi on X.
He also posted a throwback picture of him participating in Kanwar yatra.
However, the BJP, whose government is in power in Uttar Pradesh, defended the Muzaffarnagar police order to all eateries and carts selling eatables to display their names, saying it allows fasting Hindus who may want to eat at a pure vegetarian restaurant, where the likelihood of them being served Satvik food is higher, a choice.
Muzaffarnagar Police chief Abhishek Singh earlier on Monday said, "Preparations of Sawan month have started in the district. About 240 km of Kanwar yatra route falls in the district. All the eateries, including hotels, dhabas and carts, on the route have been asked to display the names of their proprietors or those working on these shops."
"This has been done to ensure that there should be no confusion among kanwariyas and no law and order situation arises. All are following this voluntarily," he told reporters.
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Nine dead as fire breaks out in residential building in east Delhi
New Delhi (PTI): A fire broke out in a residential building in east Delhi's Vivek Vihar early Sunday, leaving nine people belonging to two families dead, including a toddler, officials said.
The incident was reported around 3.48 am at a four-storey building in Vivek Vihar Phase-I, following which police, fire and disaster management teams rushed to the spot.
According to the police, the blaze engulfed flats on the second, third and fourth floors of the building, prompting a large-scale rescue operation.The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.
The Delhi Fire Service (DFS) said nine charred bodies were recovered from different floors.
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"One body was recovered from the first floor, five from the second floor and three from the staircase which was found locked," the DFS officer said.
Those found dead on the second floor have been identified as Arvind Jain (60), his wife Anita Jain (58), son Nishant Jain (35), daughter-in-law Anchal Jain (33) and grandchild Akash Jain.
On the third floor, three members of a family were found dead. They were identified as Nitin Jain (50), wife Shailey Jain (48) and son Samyak Jain (25).
On the first floor a woman identified as Shikha Jain (45) was found dead while her husband Naveen Jain (48) sustained injuries.
A senior police officer said, "Around 10 to 15 people were rescued from the premises during the firefighting operation. Two of them, who sustained minor injuries, were shifted to the Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital."
A total of 12 fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames, while teams from the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), traffic police and local police assisted in the rescue and evacuation efforts.
Police said the fire was brought under control after several hours. Efforts are underway to determine the cause of the fire, police said.
Further investigation and proceedings are underway.
