Dhami says that our religion and culture should be preserved
Wednesday, 20 April | PNS | Dehradun
Amid the ongoing debate triggered by the demand that non-Hindus should be banned from the Char Dhams, the chief minister of Uttarakhand Pushkar Singh Dhami has said that verification of all the persons residing in the state who have remained unverified so far will be undertaken. He said that our religion and culture should remain preserved. The CM added that the State should remain peaceful and for this the State government would undertake a drive. Interacting with the media persons at the secretariat here on Tuesday, Dhami said that the government will ensure that such people should not come to the state who are a threat to the peace. This statement comes a few days after stone-pelting on a Hanuman Jayanti procession at a village in Roorkee had left about a dozen persons injured on Saturday.
It is pertinent to mention here that a letter written by the head of Haridwar based Shambhavi Dham, Swami Anand Swaroop to the CM recently has stoked controversy. In his letter Swaroop has said that the non -Hindus should not be allowed to own land, conduct business or build houses in the Char Dham areas. In his letter Swaroop had said that the number of non-Hindus is increasing in the Char Dham area adding that they are engaged in business and are involved in criminal activities bringing a bad name to the sacred area. His letter kicked up a debate with people airing their views on the contentious issue on the social media platform and other forums. It is pertinent to mention here that Swaroop was one of the organisers of the Dharma Sansad held last year where hate speeches were allegedly delivered against members of a particular community.
