Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) [India], May 16 : Amidst the arrival of a huge number of devotees in Gangotri and Yamunotri for the Char Dham Yatra, Uttarakhand police on Thursday appealed to devotees not to travel without registration or before the registration date.
"Urging all devotees coming to Gangotri and Yamunotri to register themselves before coming. Also, do not plan your travel before the registration date," Uttarkashi SP Arpan Yaduvanshi said on X.
Earlier, Rudraprayag Police launched 'Operation Maryada' to maintain decency and purity on the journey. Under this operation, police are taking strict action against those who are misbehaving with others and consuming alcohol or intoxicants in the Dham area and Yatra halts.
The police team has appealed to the crowd to behave in a civilised manner to maintain the wholesomeness of the pilgrimage.
"Rudraprayag Police is committed to the smooth and safe journey of the devotees coming for the popular Shri Kedarnath Dham Yatra in the district. Operation Maryada has been started by the district police for effective action against those who behave indecently and consume intoxicants in the Dham area and the Yatra halts," Deputy Superintendent of Police, Guptkashi, Harshvardhini Suman said.
On May 15, Uttarakhand Director General of Police Abhinav Kumar wrote a letter to the Director Generals of Police of all the states because of the unexpected crowd at the 'Char Dham Yatra'.
"In view of the unexpected crowd at the Char Dhams, I have written a letter to the Director Generals of Police of all the states of the country and requested them not to send any VIP from their respective states for the Char Dham Darshan till May 31," Abhinav Kumar told ANI.
The Char Dham Yatra commenced in Uttarakhand on May 10.
The Char Dham Yatra holds profound spiritual significance in Hinduism. This journey typically occurs from April-May to October-November.
The Char Dham Yatra, or pilgrimage, is a tour of four holy sites: Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. In Hindi, 'char' means four and 'dham' refers to religious destinations, as per the Uttarakhand tourism official website.