During the ongoing Kanwar Yatra, the Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami was spotted washing Kanwariyas’ feet in Haridwar, which has been trending on social media platforms. A video of the ritual by the chief minister, which went viral on social media, has been met with mixed reactions.
The video clip shows Dhami and Kanwariya shaking hands and touching their feet as a way of respecting and serving them. The symbolic act took place during his visit to Haridwar, where thousands of devotees had assembled to undertake the annual pilgrimage in honor of Lord Shiva.
It’s one of the biggest religious functions held in the country, where religious devotees have to travel long distances to collect holy water from the Ganga and drop it at the Shiva temple, Kanwar Yatra. The state governments make elaborate plans to ensure smooth arrangements every year and during the pilgrimage; this involves security in place, provision of medical facilities and traffic management.
After the ceremony, the video soon began to spread across various social media platforms, and there was a lot of discussion about it. The supporters hailed the chief minister’s action as an act of humility and respect shown to the devotees, while his critics criticized the move, saying it’s a symbolic display and should have been part of his official duties.
Uttarakhand government has not issued any other clarifications about the viral video, but Dhami has continuously reiterated the state’s efforts to provide millions of Kanwar pilgrims a safe and organised yatra.
There is a greater level of security over the Kanwar Yatra as the security personnel are monitoring the movement of people and are making preparations at the religious centres, such as Haridwar for the event.