Kanwar Yatra 2025: Meat shops to shut in UP, flower showers to continue
Synopsis
UP cabinet minister Dharampal Singh has ordered all non-vegetarian food shops shut for the entire Shrawan month during Kanwar Yatra 2025, while the Yogi government's signature flower-petal welcome for pilgrims continues — with the Chief Minister joining in person. With 7,000 jathas expected from Bareilly alone, the administration is deploying mounted patrols and social media surveillance in one of UP's largest annual pilgrimages.
Key Takeaways
Meat, fish, and mutton shops will remain closed throughout the Shrawan month along the Kanwar Yatra route in Uttar Pradesh .
The Kanwar Yatra 2025 runs from 30 July to 28 August across UP.
Approximately 7,000 jathas are expected to depart from Bareilly district , each with a designated nodal officer.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will personally participate in the flower-petal showering of pilgrims on at least two occasions.
Security measures include mounted and foot patrols, medical kits for ailing pilgrims, and active social media monitoring .
Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Dharampal Singh on Thursday, 16 July chaired a review meeting with police and administrative officials in Bareilly ahead of the Kanwar Yatra, announcing that all shops selling non-vegetarian food — including meat, fish, and mutton — will remain closed throughout the Shrawan month. The pilgrimage is scheduled to run from 30 July to 28 August 2025 across Uttar Pradesh.
Key Directives Issued
Following the review meeting, Minister Dharampal Singh issued a series of directives to streamline the Yatra route and reduce disruptions for pilgrims. Approximately 7,000 jathas (groups) are expected to set out on the Kanwar Yatra from within Bareilly district alone, with a nodal officer assigned to each group.
The minister confirmed that arrangements have been put in place from the very start of the journey. If any pilgrim from Bareilly encounters difficulties in Budaun or another district, the Bareilly police will coordinate to ensure their protection and security across jurisdictions.
Flower Petal Tradition to Continue
The practice of honouring Kanwar yatris by showering flower petals — a tradition adopted during the Yogi Adityanath government — will continue this year. According to Singh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath himself is expected to participate in the ceremonial flower-showering on at least a couple of occasions during the pilgrimage period.
Security and Medical Arrangements
The Uttar Pradesh administration has deployed a multi-layered security apparatus for the mega congregation of Kanwariyas. Arrangements include both mounted patrols and foot patrols along the Yatra route. Instructions have also been issued to provide medical kits to ailing pilgrims.
Social media will be closely monitored to prevent the spread of rumours or inflammatory content. Officials have been directed to track potential rumour-mongering and trouble-fomenting activity online.
Non-Vegetarian Eateries Along the Route
Addressing questions about non-Hindu individuals running eateries along the Kanwar route, Singh said that certain individuals, he alleged, use such businesses to 'disrupt' the pilgrimage. 'Our administration is fully prepared, deploying everything from mounted patrols to foot patrols and is actively identifying such individuals,' he stated. Critics have previously raised concerns that such directives disproportionately target religious minorities, and the issue has drawn scrutiny from civil liberties groups in past years.
What Happens Next
With the Kanwar Yatra less than two weeks away, district administrations across the Yatra belt are expected to complete ground-level preparations. The closure of non-vegetarian food outlets and the broader security framework will be in effect until the pilgrimage concludes on 28 August 2025.
Point of View
With a security apparatus that increasingly conflates crowd management with communal surveillance. The singling out of non-Hindu eatery owners by Minister Singh — without citing specific incidents — risks normalising profiling as policy. What deserves scrutiny is not the logistical planning, which is substantial, but whether blanket business closures affecting livelihoods of minority traders have any legal basis beyond administrative discretion. Courts have previously flagged similar orders in other states.
NationPress
16 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Will meat shops be closed during Kanwar Yatra 2025 in UP?
Yes. UP cabinet minister Dharampal Singh announced that all shops selling non-vegetarian food — including meat, fish, and mutton — will remain closed for the entire duration of the Shrawan month, coinciding with the Kanwar Yatra from 30 July to 28 August 2025.
When does the Kanwar Yatra 2025 begin and end in Uttar Pradesh?
The Kanwar Yatra 2025 in Uttar Pradesh is scheduled to commence on 30 July and conclude on 28 August, spanning the full Shrawan month.
What security arrangements have been made for Kanwar Yatra 2025?
The UP administration has deployed mounted and foot patrols along the Yatra route, appointed nodal officers for each of the approximately 7,000 jathas from Bareilly district, arranged medical kits for ailing pilgrims, and ordered active social media monitoring to curb rumour-mongering.
Will the flower-petal showering of Kanwariyas continue in 2025?
Yes. The practice of honouring Kanwar yatris with flower showers, introduced under the Yogi Adityanath government, will continue this year. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is expected to personally participate in the ceremony on at least two occasions.
What did UP minister Dharampal Singh say about non-Hindu eatery owners on the Kanwar route?
Singh alleged that some individuals of a different faith run eateries along the route with the intent to 'disrupt' the pilgrimage. He said the administration is actively identifying such individuals using both patrol deployments and surveillance measures. The remarks have drawn attention given past legal challenges to similar directives in other states.
