Overview
- The managing body installed hoardings and flex banners at entrances to Har-ki-Pauri declaring the area off-limits to non-Hindus.
- No government order has been issued to enforce a ban, and Haridwar’s municipal commissioner said action will follow official instructions.
- Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami stated that the proposals are under consideration within the scope of applicable law.
- The Ganga Sabha seeks a blanket bar across Haridwar’s ghats and urges agencies and media to avoid deploying non-Hindu staff there, citing 1916 bylaws despite post-1954 exemptions for on-duty officials.
- A January 13 video by two locals in Arab attire triggered renewed demands, and reactions split with Congress leaders questioning feasibility and BJP leaders backing religious traditions.