Tourists caught smoking hookah at Haridwar's Har Ki Pauri ghat

Haridwar : A video is being circulated on social media where a group of men can be seen getting thrashed by a mob for allegedly smoking hookah at Haridwar’s Har ki Pauri Ghat. 

According to the reports, the six men (from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh) were caught smoking hookah on Tuesday. After they started creating a ruckus, locals arrived there, snatched the hookah and destroyed it.

It has also been learned that the tourists were thrashed for hurting religious sentiments and mocking the sanctity of a holy place. Later, they were handed over to the police.

Watch the video of the incident below:

Speaking to ANI on Thursday, Superintendent of Police of City, Haridwar, Kamlesh Upadhyaya said, “Some tourists were found smoking hookah at Har-ki-Pauri on July 7. They have been arrested by the police.”

“A case has been registered and an investigation into this matter is underway. We also want to send a message to the public that we will not tolerate such behaviour here,” he said. More CCTVs would be deployed near the ghats to prevent such incidents, he added.

Lakh of people visit Har-Ki-Pauri every year, which is regarded as one of the holiest Ghats in Haridwar. It is the place where River Ganga flowing from the Himalayas touches the plains for the first time.