Bareilly locals breathe sigh of relief; Kanwars walk peacefully under strict vigil

The residents of Bareilly's Khelum village breathed a sigh of relief as more than 200 kanwariyas marched peacefully through the town under the strict vigil of the district adminsitration.

The village had made news after the district police had issued red cards to more than 200 families warning them that they will be held accountable if they tried to disrupt the ongoing Kanwar yatra in anyway. 

The district administration had also identified 441 locals who might had caused trouble. These locals were also made to sign a bond of Rs 5 lakh so that they don't cause any disturbance this time around.

The move had scared around 70 Muslim families who decided to leave the village. The step had come a year after violence hit last year's Kanwar yatra in the same village. The clashes between Kanwariyas and Muslims had left dozens injured along with 15 security officials following which the police had registered two FIRs against 29 Muslims and 14 Hindus.

Officials told the Hindustan Times that this year, the local police had begun their groundwork in order to make sure that the yatra was carried out peacefully this time and no mishappening takes place. 

The district adminsitration had issued around 3000 warning red cards across the district out of which 280 were sent to the locals residing in Khelum village. These included both Hindu and Muslim families. 

An estimated 3,000 such cards were issued across the district, around 280 of which went to residents of Khelum, both Hindus and Muslims, local police officials said.

"We have secret information that during the Kanwar yatra you might create trouble...with this red card we are informing you that if you create any trouble during the Kanwar yatra, action will be taken against you. You will be held accountable," read the red cards.