'Sanatani' stickers, QR codes & vigil: 'Veg-only' campaign for Kanwar yatra route turns into flashpoint

While some shopkeepers have reported a boost in footfall after displaying the Sanatani sticker, others see it as a forced compromise.

What began as a seemingly innocuous effort to help Kanwar Yatra pilgrims find vegetarian food has now spiralled into a flashpoint of communal tension, economic exclusion and legal scrutiny.

Along the 540-kilometre pilgrimage route stretching across Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, a dual campaign — one spearheaded by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) with religious "Sanatani" stickers, and the other enforced by the Uttar Pradesh government through mandatory QR codes — has come under national scrutiny.

The directives have sparked accusations of religious profiling and indirect targeting of Muslim vendors. What was once a route of devotional chants and saffron-clad pilgrims is now also marked by quiet boycotts, sticker politics, legal petitions — and a growing unease about what it means to sell food during a Hindu pilgrimage in 2025.

Since early July, volunteers of the VHP have fanned out across key stops of the Kanwar Yatra — from Delhi’s Burari and Najafgarh to Ghaziabad, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, and beyond — pasting saffron-coloured stickers on shops. These read “Sanatani Vyaparik Sansthan” and carry the slogan “Garv se kaho, hum Hindu hain” (Say with pride, we are Hindus). Only those eateries that commit to serving purely vegetarian food, and abstain from selling meat or alcohol, are allowed to display the sticker.

“This is not a campaign against any religion. It’s about assuring purity of food for those who have taken religious vows,” said Shachindra Sharma, a senior VHP functionary based in Ghaziabad. “Kanwariyas maintain a high spiritual discipline. These stickers are a guide, nothing more.”

But on the ground, many vendors — particularly those from the Muslim community — claim that the campaign is creating an atmosphere of quiet exclusion. A sweet shop owner in Meerut, who did not wish to be named, said he felt compelled to display the sticker. “No one threatened me, but I was losing customers. Pilgrims would ask if I had the Sanatani certificate. When I said no, they walked away.”

In parallel, the Uttar Pradesh government has rolled out a QR code mandate for all food establishments operating along the Yatra route. The codes, which must be displayed at the entrance of shops, link to the Food Safety CONNECT App and reveal key details: the name of the owner, FSSAI license status, hygiene inspection reports, and whether the food is classified as vegetarian or non-vegetarian.

Rajesh Kumar, an official in Food Safety and Drug Administration, Uttar Pradesh, defended the initiative, calling it “a digital transparency reform” meant to ensure safety for lakhs of pilgrims who consume food on the move. “This is not a religious decision. It is a public health measure. Every pilgrim has the right to know whether an establishment is licensed, clean, and safe,” he told this reporter.

However, the QR code rollout has been anything but neutral. Critics argue that when combined with the Sanatani sticker campaign, the system opens the door to profiling — especially since the shop owner’s name is displayed and is often used to infer religious identity. In western Uttar Pradesh, multiple cases have emerged where Muslim shopkeepers report losing customers after their QR code was scanned.

“They do not ask questions. They just scan, look at my name, and leave,” said Wasim Ali, a small dhaba owner in Bijnor. “I serve only vegetarian food. I have followed every rule. But now, my name is enough to scare people off.”

The tension has spilled into the legal arena. Advocate Zoya Khan, said the QR codes may appear harmless on the surface but function as a digital tool for informal religious vetting.

“This is indirect discrimination. A Muslim name on a QR-linked food license becomes a liability in the current climate,” Khan said. “In effect, this creates a soft boycott — without any official order.”

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), ideological parent of the VHP, has rejected such concerns. “This is being unnecessarily politicised,” said RSS pracharak Bholendra. “These devotees don’t even place their jal (holy Ganga water) on the ground. They seek spiritual and physical purity. Helping them find appropriate food is not an act of discrimination.”

He added, “Even at home, during vrat, we ensure everything is clean. Would you call that communal too?”

Yet, civil rights organisations are documenting a worrying pattern — especially in mixed-population areas like Muzaffarnagar, Hapur, and Moradabad — where vendors allege they were either denied QR registration or discouraged from continuing business due to “community reasons”.

While some shopkeepers have reported a boost in footfall after displaying the Sanatani sticker, others see it as a forced compromise. “This is not trust. This is compulsion in the name of religion,” said Shabnam Javed, a woman who runs a vegetarian snack stall in Muzaffarnagar. “I had no problem feeding pilgrims. But now, the food is pure, yet my identity is not.”

Kanwariyas admit they are now more conscious of where they eat. “If I see a Sanatani sticker, I go in. If I see a Muslim name on the QR scan, I hesitate,” said another pilgrim in Haridwar.

The VHP maintains the Sanatani campaign will end with the conclusion of the Yatra season. But critics warn that once religious tags and digital identifiers become normalized, they rarely disappear. What was meant to guide pilgrims could end up fencing out communities — not just during the Kanwar Yatra, but in the everyday economic life of India’s towns and cities.