HARIDWAR: New notice boards citing an over a century-old municipal bylaw restricting the entry of non-Hindus at Har-ki-Pauri, the city’s most prominent ghat, have been installed at all access points to the ghat. Ujjwal Pandit, secretary of the Ganga Sabha, the body which administers the ghat, said the “move was intended to familiarise visitors with the rules governing the religious site”.
Pandit called for “strict enforcement of the bylaws”, which he said were framed in 1916. “Those who have nothing to do with Sanatan Dharma, or who do not know anything about it, should not be allowed to enter the holy place,” he alleged. The 1916 bylaws framed during the formation of Ganga Sabha state that, except for officials on duty, no non-Hindu is permitted to enter the Sama Bhoomi, an isle-like platform, the Har-ki-Pauri region or Kushawart ghat. The Sama Bhoomi includes bridges near Har-ki-Pauri and Jamboo ghat; the isle-like platform includes Malviya Dweep, while Kushawart Ghat lies adjacent to Subhash ghat. Ganga Sabha president Nitin Gautam added that he had urged the state govt, including the chief minister, to install similar boards across all Ganga ghats and the entire Kumbh Mela area. He claimed that “such boards were necessary because of growing attempts to encroach upon ghats”. As per estimates, there are 72 ghats along the Ganga in Haridwar. District administration officials, however, struck a cautious note, saying that enforcement of municipal bylaws lies with civic authorities and the police. “No fresh orders have been issued by the administration regarding access restrictions, and any action would have to be in accordance with the law,” a senior official, on the condition of anonymity, said. District magistrate Mayur Dixit was unavailable for his comments on the matter.Haridwar mayor Kiran Jaissal, when asked about her views on the issue, said the provisions bar non-Hindus from buying property, constructing houses or staying overnight in the restricted area. “These restrictions are not new, and Ganga Sabha is only reinforcing them through these boards,” she said. Meanwhile, Ratan Mani Dobhal, Haridwar-based social activist, called the installation of the boards “communal and discriminatory.” “If Ganga Sabha officials feel that the municipal bylaws are so sacred, why don’t they demand demolition of houses facing the Ganga? Why is business allowed on the Ganga banks? Why is food cooked on the ghats and public feasts (langars) are organised there? All these things are also explicitly banned in the bylaws. District administration should take immediate steps to prevent such arbitrary behaviour by the Ganga Sabha office-bearers.”
