India Deploys Security for Annual Kanwar Yatra Pilgrimage

The annual Kanwar Yatra pilgrimage began on July 30, 2026, with millions of devotees traveling to Haridwar. To manage the surge, the governments of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi implemented coordinated security and traffic diversion plans across the region.

Pushkar Singh Dhami, Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, confirmed that state preparations were complete, including the deployment of Water Police and the establishment of transport and accommodation facilities. In Uttar Pradesh, authorities divided the Police Commissionerate into 20 zones and 60 sectors, installing 3,000 CCTV cameras and 28 temporary police posts. Hapur District Magistrate Kavita Meena coordinated the division of Hapur into five zones, focusing infrastructure and security on Brijghat, a primary site for collecting holy water from the Ganges.

Traffic restrictions are extensive across the Delhi-Haridwar corridor through August 11. In Muzaffarnagar, heavy vehicles were barred from entering starting July 29, with specific lane restrictions on NH-58 to prioritize pilgrims. Delhi Police deployed Quick Response Teams and assistance camps, while heavy vehicles were prohibited from arterial roads such as Wazirabad Road and GT Road. A full vehicle ban is scheduled for the Delhi-Haridwar National Highway from August 4 to August 12, and segments of the Delhi-Meerut Expressway will be restricted to pilgrims starting August 7.