Haridwar, 16 January (H.S.): Authorities at Shri Ganga Sabha have affixed posters across the Har Ki Paidi precinct explicitly prohibiting non-Hindus from entry, invoking a 1916 Municipal Bylaw to preserve the site's sanctity as a paramount Hindu pilgrimage hub frequented daily by thousands for ritual Ganga ablutions.

The measures respond to mounting demands from saints, Hindu organisations, and temple priests, who decry recurrent violations threatening religious decorum; posters proclaim Entry of Non-Hindus Strictly Prohibited under the historic Haridwar Municipal Act, which curtails non-Hindu access and permanent residence at key ghats to safeguard Sanatana traditions.

The bylaw stems from a landmark 1916 accord between Mahamana Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya and the British administration, designating Haridwar's ghats as exclusively Hindu domains to avert desecration by anti-social elements or impostors.

Shri Ganga Sabha, entrusted with precinct management since Malaviya's foundational involvement, acted after administrative inaction despite repeated entreaties from president Nitin Gautam.

A pivotal trigger occurred this Tuesday when two Hindu youths, garbed as Arab sheikhs for social media notoriety, promenaded along Har Ki Paidi; their viral video incited outrage, prompting swift police detention, public apologies, and prosecution under the Police Act.

Gautam underscored the bylaw's stringent enforcement to thwart such impersonations and uphold the tirtha's inviolable maryada against trade or intrusion by non-Hindus.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar