Unruly kanwariyas have posed a law and order challenge for the authorities at several places in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand over the past 24 hours.

Four kanwariyas ransacked an eyeglass outlet in Haridwar on Monday evening when the shopkeeper refused to bargain with them. Although the incident was recorded on a CCTV camera installed by the police on the road, no action was taken against them.

Later, a salesman at the shop was quoted by reporters as saying that the police asked them not to make it an issue.

The kanwariyas took over the New Delhi-Haridwar Highway in Haridwar district on Monday night and prevented all vehicles from passing through the road.

The police had earmarked the service lanes for them to walk. Eyewitnesses said the kanwariyas put their kanwars on the highway near Singhdwar, Gurukul Kangri, Sitapur Flyover, Harilok Crossing, Ranipur Jhal and Bahadrabad in Haridwar and continued to have dinner at the nearby dhabas for hours on Monday night.

Another group of kanwariyas damaged a car in Ghaziabad on Monday while alleging that it had hit a kanwar. The video clips of the incident showed policemen at the spot, but they didn't try to intervene. A kanwariya was seen standing on the top of the car and hitting its windshield with a stick.

Kanwariyas also damaged a school bus in Meerut on Monday. They alleged that the bus had touched their kanwars. A policeman on the spot was seen in a video calling someone on his mobile phone.

It was the first Monday of the month of Shravan, when a large number of kanwariyas collect the holy water of the Ganga and offer it to Lord Shiva in temples.

Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said: "There is security on the roads, but the number of kanwariyas is growing each day. We have given clear instructions to the police not to allow anybody to take law and order into their hands, and the police are doing their duty."