Amidst heavy rain and landslide warnings, pilgrims in Uttarakhand’s Sonprayag broke through barricades to proceed to the Kedarnath temple. Police were forced to use a mild lathi charge to bring the situation under control, as authorities had suspended the yatra for safety.
August 13, 2025: A group of pilgrims seeking to go to the Kedarnath temple in Sonprayag, Uttarakhand, burst through barriers and were met by a moderate police lathi charge. The event took place while the yatra was on halt because of heavy rain and landslides that made the road unsafe.
Officials reported that the Kedarnath yatra was stopped after flash floods in Uttarkashi last week killed at least four people. People are still worried about more landslides because the area is still getting a lot of rain. Even though they were stopped there, some pilgrims tried to get past the walls at Sonprayag. That’s why the cops had to get involved to keep the peace.
The police are doing this because the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA) has put out red, orange, and yellow advisories all over the state because of forecasts of very heavy rain. Because there is a chance of very heavy rain in several locations, districts including Dehradun, Tehri, and Nainital are on red alert from Wednesday to Thursday.
Officials have warned people who live there and people who are visiting to keep vigilant and not travel unless they have to. They have also urged residents who live in low-lying areas to be ready to move to higher ground.