Uttarakhand stir: 2 held for roaming around Har Ki Pauri in ‘sheikh’ attire; shooting video for YouTube

HARIDWAR: Police detained two men after a video purportedly showing them wearing ‘sheikh’ attire (kandura), roaming around Har Ki Pauri and bathing at a Ganga ghat surfaced online on Tuesday, officials said.Police said the video, which shows the men moving around Malviya Ghat and nearby areas at Har Ki Pauri, triggered a stir and renewed demands to restrict the entry of non-Hindus at all Ganga ghats in the Haridwar Kumbh Mela area, according to news agency PTI.When priests in the area stopped and questioned the men, they identified themselves as Habibullah and Habibi, residents of Dubai. However, a few hours after the incident, police detained them for questioning.During interrogation, the men disclosed their identities as Naveen Kumar (22) and Prince (22), residents of Sidcul in Haridwar. They told police that they were shooting a video for their YouTube channel.The two later apologised for hurting religious sentiments and were warned against making similar videos in the future. They were subsequently released by the police.In the video that surfaced online, one of the men can be heard saying, "They can roam anywhere in India," when a priest asked them to leave the premises.

The priest then informed members of the Ganga Sabha about the incident.Ujjwal Pandit, a member of the Ganga Sabha, had said that a search was launched after information about the two men was received, but they had already left the area. He had alleged that the video showed a deliberate attempt to disturb the atmosphere at Har Ki Pauri.Recently, the Ganga Sabha and the priest community have demanded that all Ganga ghats in the Kumbh Mela area, including Har Ki Pauri, be declared restricted zones for non-Hindus — a proposal the Uttarakhand government is said to be seriously considering.