Indian court blocks rule to divide eateries by religion

Monday, July 29th, 2024

Activists have joined political leaders in condemning police in two states for demanding eateries display the names of their owners amid criticism that it creates a religious divide, particularly during the ongoing Hindu pilgrim season.

India’s Supreme Court on July 22 temporarily suspended the rules imposed last week by police in the northern states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand — both ruled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Thousands of Hindu pilgrims walk on a pilgrimage known as “Kanwar Yatra” to collect holy water from the Ganges river.

They pass through the two neighbouring states during the holy month of Shravan, the fifth month of the Hindu calendar, which begins on July 22. Continue reading

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