Haridwar's Har Ki Pauri where entry of non-Hindus is banned, Muslim politicians invited for Deepotsav event
Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India 
10 November, 2024
Case Summary
On November 11, the Uttarakhand administration invited Muslim MLAs to the Deepotsav event in Haridwar's Har Ki Pauri, where the entry of non-Hindus is restricted. The incident triggered outrage among Hindu rights organisations like Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad. Shri Ganga Sabha also strongly objected to the invitation extended to the three Muslim MLAs. Notably, the Sabha organises Ganga Aarti and other events in Har Ki Pauri. According to the Shri Ganga Sabha, non-Hindus are not permitted to visit Har Ki Pauri, hence the administration’s invitation was inappropriate. Later, in response to the criticism in this case, the administration prohibited non-Hindus from attending the ceremony at Har Ki Pauri. Notably, non-Hindus are not permitted to enter Haridwar’s Har Ki Pauri and other ghats. This restriction is a hundred years old and was established by Mahamana Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya in 1916 following an agreement with the British rulers. It is also a Municipal Corporation bylaw.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of 'Attack on Hindu religious symbol'. Under this, the sub-category chosen is- Breaking rules of places of worship. Sanatan Dharma is not a religion of one book, which is to say that while it has religious scriptures that form the central tenets of the faith, there are several traditions followed through thousands of years, mostly passed from generation to generation orally. One of these oral traditions or written traditions is the rules of specific temples. Certain temples have rules which are traditional rules, dependent on the worship of the presiding deities. These rules and traditions have been followed for thousands of years whether they find scriptural mention or not. Such traditions are based on the nature and rules of worship of the presiding deity of that temple. Any non-compliance of these traditions owing to animosity towards the faith or for the sake of activism stems not only from the lack of faith in the presiding deity but also disregard for the faith of the devotees of that deity/temple and implicit bias against the faith, the tradition and the deity itself. Since these specific traditions are central to the faith of the devotees of that specific temple and presiding deity, any non-compliance with these traditional rules would be considered a religiously motivated hate crime. There are several Hindu temples and places of worship that restrict entry to Hindus only and Haridwar's Har Ki Pauri Ghat is one of them. This practice of restricting entry to non-Hindus dates back centuries and is deeply ingrained in the Ghat's customs and traditions. The administration invited Muslims MLAs despite the restriction on the attendance of non-Hindus in the place of worship, desecrating the rules of the place of worship. The administration may have done this out of political compulsions and not out of specific hostility towards Hindus and their faith, however, the administration, knowing the restriction of the place of worship, still chose to break the rules by extending the invite. For that reason, this case is being documented in the hate crime database.
Case Status
Case adjudicated
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
State and Establishment
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
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