People posing threat to peace in Uk'd not welcome in Char Dham Yatra: Dhami

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday said people coming to Uttarakhand on Char Dham Yatra from outside will have to undergo proper verification so that those who may pose a threat to peace do not enter the state.Dhami said this while replying to a question by a reporter about seers demand that there should be a ban on the entry of non-Hindus in Char Dham areas.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday said people coming to Uttarakhand on Char Dham Yatra from outside will have to undergo proper verification so that those who may pose a threat to peace do not enter the state.

Dhami said this while replying to a question by a reporter about seers’ demand that there should be a ban on the entry of non-Hindus in Char Dham areas. ''There should be peace in our state. The religion and culture of our state should be preserved,” Dhami said in response to the question.

“We will conduct a drive to see that those coming for the pilgrimage from outside have proper verification and those who do not have it get themselves verified,” he said.

“No one who may pose a threat to peace or spoil the atmosphere should enter the state,'' Dhami said. Describing Uttarakhand as a peace-loving state besides being a centre of religion and culture, Dhami said there is no place here for rioters, encroachers and those fomenting religious frenzy. Some Haridwar-based seers have requested the chief minister to ban non-Hindus from visiting the Char Dham shrines, saying the temple should be kept out of bounds for those who do not believe in Hinduism.

The Char Dham Yatra is scheduled to begin in the first week of May with the opening of the Gangotri and Yamunotri temples in the Uttarkashi district.

A record number of pilgrims are likely to visit the shrines this year with the removal of the COVID-19 restrictions.

Various hotels and dharamshalas in the area have reported full boking one month in advance.