An altercation erupted between Kanwar Yatra devotees and a car driver in Ghaziabad after the car accidentally struck a devotee and damaged his sacred pot (Kavad), according to officials.

The incident occurred on Saturday when a Honda City car inadvertently entered a route designated for Kanwariyas, lightly brushing against one of the devotees. The incident sparked outrage among the devotees, who stopped the car and severely damaged it by breaking its windows and tail lights with sticks. A video of the altercation shows a crowd of devotees surrounding the car and smashing its windows and tail lights.

Police officers arrived at the scene to pacify the Kanwariyas. The police clarified that the sacred Ganga water carried by the Kanwariyas was not spilled during the incident. The car driver sustained minor injuries during the altercation.

Earlier this week, a Kanwar Yatra pilgrim was killed and another injured in a hit-and-run accident in Muzaffarnagar. A speeding two-wheeler struck the devotees while a group of pilgrims were sleeping on the roadside. Police officer Ramashish Yadav told ANI that the speeding bike hit the sleeping devotee and fled the scene.

To avoid any untoward incidents, local police teams, the Rapid Action Force (RAF), and commandos from the Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) of Uttar Pradesh police have been deployed along the Kanwar route.

The annual Kanwar Yatra began on July 22 and will conclude on August 6. The governments of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh have made extensive arrangements to manage the large number of pilgrims. The Kanwar Yatra will pass through Delhi, Meerut, Saharanpur, Ghaziabad, Shamli, and Baghpat districts in Uttar Pradesh, with devotees collecting sacred water from the river Ganga.