Glass shards found on Kanwar route; FIR lodged, probe underway: Delhi LG

Lieutenant Governor (LG) Vinai Kumar Saxena on Sunday said that it had come to notice on Saturday night that a large quantity of glass shards had been strewn across about a one-kilometre stretch of road in Shahdara’s Dilshad Garden, along the Kanwar Yatra route.

The LG said that the stretch of road was cleaned within two hours by the Public Works Department (PWD) after the issue came to notice.

Advertisement

Considering the seriousness of the issue, the Delhi Police has registered an FIR and initiated a probe to identify those behind the act, which could have triggered tensions and disturbed peace.

Saxena stated that the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police will investigate the matter.

The LG emphasised that Kanwar Yatris generally walk barefoot, which could have made the incident far more serious for the pilgrims.

The police said that a case was registered based on the statement of a PWD Junior Engineer, who had made a PCR call to the Seemapuri Police Station at around 11.39 pm on Saturday.

Following a thorough investigation, the police identified an e-rickshaw that was transporting 19 glass panels from Shalimar Garden in Ghaziabad to Seelampur in Delhi.

Further investigation revealed that the e-rickshaw was allegedly hit by another vehicle, causing the glass panels to crack, shatter, and scatter over a distance.

However, the police said that the investigation is still in progress.

The Delhi government has made elaborate arrangements to assist the Kanwar pilgrims during the holy yatra.

This year, the government has taken the direct benefit transfer route to provide aid to Kanwar committees responsible for setting up camps and ensuring facilities for pilgrims.

Tight security and appropriate traffic arrangements have been put in place to ensure that pilgrims face no problems during their transit through Delhi and that daily commuters are not inconvenienced.