A controversy erupted in Delhi’s Seemapuri area on July 12 when glass shards were found scattered along the route taken by Kanwariyas, devotees of Lord Shiva, during their annual pilgrimage. The presence of broken glass on a path walked barefoot by many pilgrims led to public outrage and a suspicion of a deliberate attempt to hurt religious sentiments. However, the Delhi Police have now clarified that the incident was accidental and not a deliberate act, India Today reported.
According to the Delhi Police, the glass pieces found on the route came from 19 large glass panels that shattered while being transported in an e-rickshaw. The e-rickshaw was driven by Kusum Pal, a 43-year-old resident of Ghaziabad, who was transporting the panels from Shalimar Bagh in Uttar Pradesh to Seelampur in Delhi. During the journey, the glass panels cracked and fell, scattering shards along the route.
As per India Today report, Kusum Pal has been detained for questioning as the police continue to investigate the route taken, the exact location of the breakage, and whether there was any negligence involved.
At present, police say there is no indication of foul play, but they are also verifying whether the glass broke purely by accident or if there were any other motives involved.
The incident came to public attention after a video showing glass scattered on the road was shared online by Seemapuri's Sub-Divisional Magistrate around 6.25 pm on July 12.
A complaint was filed by Avinash Pratap Singh, a junior engineer with the Public Works Department (PWD), who alleged that someone deliberately spread glass pieces to injure Kanwariyas and hurt religious sentiments. Based on his complaint, police registered a case under Sections 125 (endangering human life) and 299 (malicious acts to outrage religious feelings) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
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, TOI reported. "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.
Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra had alleged that anti-social elements were behind the act. "In Delhi's Shahdara, some mischievous elements scattered glass shards along the Kanwar Yatra route for nearly a kilometre. PWD and municipal workers are cleaning the route. Local MLA Sanjay Goyal ji is present there. CM@gupta_rekha ji has personally taken cognisance of the incident. An FIR will be filed by PWD against the mischievous elements," Mishra posted on X.
BJP MLA from Shahdara, Sanjay Goyal, also visited the site and expressed concern, pointing out that this was not the first time glass shards were found on the same route. He suggested it seemed intentional since the pattern had repeated, India Today reported.
A PWD official added to the suspicion by stating that if the glass had broken from a vehicle, it would not have spread over such a long stretch, almost a kilometre. Despite these claims, the police investigation has so far not found evidence of a planned attack.
The route was cleaned by PWD and municipal workers.
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