UP: Eatery along Kanwar route shut down after dispute over management, ownership

Muzaffarnagar: An eatery located on the Delhi-Dehradun national highway along the Kanwar Yatra route has been shut following a dispute involving its management and ownership, police said on Friday.

According to New Mandi police station SHO Dinesh Chand Baghel, five people — including the eatery's contractor Sanawar and owner Diksha Sharma — have been booked for allegedly assaulting former manager Dharmendra. The accused suspected him of leaking information about the dhaba's ownership, police said.

The eatery, identified as Pandit Ji Vaishno Dhaba, was owned by Diksha Sharma and had been given on a five-year contract to Sanawar, who was operating the establishment, officials added.

Following the alleged assault, Dharmendra approached Swami Yashveer Maharaj, who later confronted the dhaba's management along with his supporters.

The five accused are currently absconding, and efforts are on to trace them, police said.

Meanwhile, police have also summoned six individuals associated with Swami Yashveer Maharaj for allegedly conducting unauthorised identity checks of eatery owners along the yatra route. The summons follows a purported video circulated on social media showing individuals purportedly misbehaving with staff at the eatery.

Officials said the six activists have been asked to appear for questioning within three days.

The Kanwar Yatra, an annual pilgrimage undertaken during the Hindu month of Shravan, draws thousands of devotees every year.