VARANASI, July 19 -- Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said efforts are being made to defame kanwar pilgrims who are subjected to a media trial and termed terrorists and rioters. This, he asserted, stems from a mentality that wants to insult India's heritage. He made the remarks at the inauguration of a national seminar on tribal icon Birsa Munda at Vasant Mahila Mahavidyalaya on the second day of his visit to Varanasi. He hailed tribal communities as the foundation of Indian civilization and warned against increasing attempts to incite caste conflict through fake social media accounts, calling for immediate action to stop such divisive agendas. The chief minister further said whenever there is any threat to Sanatan Dharma, the tribal society has always stood up to fight it. Emphasising on social harmony, he said, "There is no discrimination of caste, religion or sect in the Kanwar Yatra. The Kanwar Yatra is going on with devotion, but some people call it unruly. These are the same forces which instigate the tribals. We have to be cautious of them." The Kanwar Yatra began on July 11 with the commencement of the Hindu holy month of Sawan. The chief minister said everyone from society, from the working classes to the upper classes, is associated with the yatra. "There is a wonderful confluence of unity. No discrimination. There is no distinction of caste, no distinction of region, no distinction of class, no difference of opinion, no difference of sect, they go chanting 'Har Har Bam Bam'. They walk 300-400 kilometres, then take water from there, put the kanwar on their shoulders and walk back in the same way with the same devotion," Adityanath said. Sounding a note of caution, he said, "But there is a media trial, they are defamed. A lot is written about them, they have the audacity to even call them (Kanwar pilgrims) rioters and terrorists. This is the mentality to insult the heritage of India in every way." Adityanath also said that fake social media accounts were being run to spark caste tensions and alleged that those "always insulting the faith of India" were behind it. "These are the same people who tried to separate the tribal community from India and worked to provoke them, conspiring at every level to make them fight against India. They are the ones that always insult the faith of India, and they are the same people who today want to create caste conflict by creating fake accounts on social media platforms," he said. Recalling a specific incident, the chief minister said, "A few years ago there was a case of arson. I had said then that such an act didn't seem to be that of a particular community." He recalled that after ordering police to immediately control the situation, he directed that the "footage of the arson be examined." "The investigation later confirmed that the person involved was wearing a saffron scarf but was shouting 'Ya Allah'. These deceptive individuals must be exposed and excluded from society if we are to protect national unity," he said....