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Five Arrested After Viral Video Shows Parking Staff Attacking Kedarnath Pilgrims

Authorities have ramped up security on the Kedarnath route to prevent further violence following footage of staff beating pilgrims at the Sitapur parking area

The footage, now viral on social media, captures men attacking each other with wooden sticks.
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Video shows group attacking others with sticks at Kedarnath, 5 arrested | Image: X

Overview

  • A video that circulated online on June 19 showed staff members at the Sitapur parking facility striking pilgrims with sticks during a physical altercation.
  • Sonprayag police have arrested five employees of the parking lot on charges of unlawful assembly and rioting under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
  • Local authorities have deployed additional patrols and carried out lathi charges at major stops to restore order along the pilgrimage path.
  • The Kedarnath Yatra has drawn a record 1.14 million devotees since May 2 and generated approximately Rs 3 billion in revenue for regional businesses.
  • Two people were killed and three others injured on June 18 when a landslide struck near Jungle Chatti on the trek to Kedarnath.