Meerut, July 21 -- After extending a grand welcome to Shiva devotees participating in the ongoing Kanwar Yatra by showering flower petals on them both from a helicopter and on the ground, chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday issued a stern warning to elements allegedly attempting to defame or disrupt the yatra.

"Anyone who tries to create disturbances under the guise of this sacred journey will not be spared," he said at a press conference in Meerut.

"The entire yatra route is under CCTV surveillance," he said, adding that after identifying troublemakers, their posters will be made public and the strictest legal action will follow.

Adityanath warned that certain anti-social elements were trying to malign the yatra through social me...