Four detained for selling non-veg food on routes for Kanwariyas, shop razed in Bareilly
Police in Bareilly, India, detained four individuals and demolished two shops for selling non-vegetarian food along designated Kanwar pilgrimage routes. Authorities had previously issued warnings prohibiting the sale of meat, chicken, and fish in these areas during the Sawan month to maintain religious decorum.
Why it matters
The incident highlights the ongoing tension between administrative efforts to regulate public spaces during religious festivals and the livelihoods of local traders, reflecting broader debates on secularism and religious sensitivity in India.
Police have detained four people after raiding two shops allegedly selling non-vegetarian food along a designated Kanwar pilgrimage routes here, officials said on Sunday (August 9, 2026).
The action comes amid heightened police and administrative surveillance on Kanwar routes during the ongoing Sawan month.
Authorities have directed traders not to sell meat, chicken, fish and other non-vegetarian food along designated routes during the pilgrimage and warned of legal action for violations.
In the first incident, police received information on Saturday (August 8, 2026) evening that chicken biryani was being sold at a shop near the old Roadways bus stand in Bahedi. Despite an earlier warning, the shop was found operating, following which police detained the shopkeepers, identified as Salman, a resident of Lodhipur, and Raees.
A JCB was subsequently brought to the spot and the shop's tin shed and counter were removed, Bahedi Circle Officer Arun Kumar Singh said.
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