Kanwar Yatra: Kanwariyas Block Delhi-Jaipur Highway In Protest Over Pilgrim's Death Due To Speeding Truck

The protesters demanded compensation for the deceased and later agreed to open the road when administrative officials assured them of compensation.

According to the police, the incident occurred around 2.50 am in the wee hours on Wednesday when the kanwariya identified, as Hemant Meena, was headed to Kotputli in Rajasthan along with other kanwariyas.

The Kanwar Yatra is an annual pilgrimage of devotees of Shiva, known as Kanwariyas or "Bhole". The Kanwariyas travel to Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand and Ajgaibinath, Sultanganj in Bhagalpur, Bihar to collect holy waters of the Ganges and then bring it back on foot to their hometowns where they offer the water to Shivlings on Maha Shivratri, which is on August 2 this year.

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'Kanwar' refers to a single pole (usually made of bamboo) with two roughly equal loads of pots carrying holy water fastened or dangling from opposite ends. The Kanwar traditionally is carried by balancing the middle of the pole on one or both shoulders, however, devotees carry out huge processions also. Kanwar-carrying pilgrims, called Kanwariyas, carry covered water-pots in Kanwars slung across their shoulders, ensuring that the pots do not touch the ground at any point during their pilgrimage.

The police said that the truck driver fled leaving his vehicle on the spot but was later arrested. An FIR was registered against the driver at the Kherki Daula police station, they added.

A senior police officer, cited in a news agency PTI report, said Meena was died on the spot while two other kanwariyas, Abhishek Meena and Yogesh Kumwat, of his village were critically injured when a speeding truck rammed into their motorcycle from behind.

Soon after, other kanwariyas gathered on the spot and held protests and blocked both sides of the Delhi-Jaipur Highway, the official added.

After getting information, senior police officers and the SDM reached the spot.

The protesters demanded a government job and a compensation of Rs 50 lakh for the victim's family and free treatment for the injured. The SDM assured them to send their demands to the government, and then they agreed to open the road at around 6:00 am.

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"An FIR has been registered and the driver of the truck has been arrested. The truck driver is identified as Kuldeep (27), a resident of Badsahapura village in the Agra district of Uttar Pradesh," the PTI report quoted the spokesperson of the Gurugram Police as saying.