Police probe how shards of glass were strewn on kanwariya route | Delhi News – Times of India

New Delhi: Delhi Police has registered an FIR and begun investigating how shards of broken glass came to be strewn on a route in northeast Delhi’s Dilshad Garden that barefoot-walking kanwariyas are expected to take during their annual pilgrimage.Lieutenant governor VK Saxena on X also said that it had come to his notice on Saturday night that large quantity of shards of broken glass had been strewn on a stretch of about a 1-km road in Dilshad Garden. “Instructed police to reach the spot and directed PWD to immediately take corrective measures to clean the road. The road was cleaned within two hours by PWD. Police have filed an FIR. Crime branch is investigating the matter,” he posted.On Sunday, police rounded up an e-rickshaw driver, Kusum Pal, on the basis of some CCTV footage. Pal was carrying 19 glass panels from Shalimar Garden, Ghaziabad, to Seelampur. He claimed during questioning that the panels had broken during the journey. Pal (43) lives in Ghaziabad. His claims are being verified.According to police, the matter first came to the attention of authorities when a video of the glass-strewn road was shared by the SDM, Seemapuri, at 6.25pm on July 12. The police were informed about the situation.“An initial inquiry revealed that the video was recorded and uploaded by a resident on the evening of July 10, around 8.30pm, after being alerted by a friend in the same area. It showed glass shards scattered between Chintamani Chowk and Jhilmil metro station,” said DCP (Shahdara) Prashant Priya Gautam. “By the time ACP, Seemapuri, inspected the site on July 12, only a few fragments were there, and MCD staff confirmed the stretch had been cleared that morning.“Later that night, Seemapuri police station got a PCR call from Avinash Pratap Singh, a junior engineer with PWD, and based on his statement, police registered a case under Sections 125 (act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 299.(deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of BNS on July 13.Police said an investigation is on to determine the source of the glass shards and whether there was any malicious intent involved. At a press conference, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said the act was “deliberate” and could be a “well-planned conspiracy by anti-social elements to disturb peace”.“Certain political parties have always engaged in appeasement politics for a particular religious group, and their silence on this incident makes its role appear doubtful. It is a matter of serious concern. Delhi Police is investigating the incident, and the truth will come out soon. Those responsible for such a heinous act will be caught,” Sachdeva said.He added that Delhi govt, under chief minister Rekha Gupta, was making better arrangements for the stay and travel of the kanwar pilgrims, compared to previous years. “By directly transferring funds to kanwar committees through banks, govt has helped them improve the arrangements. Special tracks for kanwar pilgrims are being created all across Delhi to ensure a smooth journey without inconvenience. Special attention is being given to avoid any obstacles in their path and even medical camps are being set up for them,” the BJP functionary said.