# Row Erupts Over Saharanpur's New Lakeside Picnic Spot as Hindu Groups Demand Ban on 'Non-Sanatani' Entry

> A picnic and tourist spot in Saharanpur, inaugurated by CM Yogi Adityanath about a year ago, is now mired in controversy. Hindu organisations want it renamed Goraksh Sarovar and entry of 'non-Sanatanis' barred.

**Category:** Religion · **Published:** 2026-06-13 · **Source:** TrendKia
**Canonical:** https://trendkia.com/en/religion/saharanapura-ke-goga-mhari-sarovara-para-siyasata-gaira-sanatani-entri-rokane-ki-341

## What the dispute is about
A newly developed tourism and picnic site in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur district has become the centre of a religious row. Hindu organisations and a local committee have objected to members of one particular community visiting the spot, alleging that it hurts Hindu religious sentiment.

At the heart of the matter is Saharanpur's Goga Mhadi site, regarded as a centuries-old centre of Hindu faith. Every year it hosts a three-day grand fair of western Uttar Pradesh, drawing devotees from several states, with the daily turnout running into lakhs.

## An encroached pond turned into a lake
Beside this site lay a pond that had been encroached upon. The administration had the encroachment cleared and developed the spot into a beautiful lake (sarovar), shaping it as a religious site. The Hindu side calls it Goraksh Ganga. According to them, it was here that Jaharveer Goga Ji Maharaj handed the neja to his disciple Kabli Bhagat, and the fair has been held at the location ever since.

## CM Yogi inaugurated it a year ago
The sarovar was inaugurated roughly a year ago by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who performed a puja at the spot. The municipal corporation then developed it as a tourist area so that families from the surrounding region could come and spend time there. It was later handed over to a private company and thrown open to people of all religions.

That is where the disagreement began. Members of the Goga Mhadi Sudhar Sabha and Hindu organisations say visitors are reaching the fun point by passing through the Goga Mhadi site, and it is this that they object to.

## Allegation of 'playing with religious sentiment'
Anil Pratap Saini, president of the Goga Mhadi Sudhar Sabha, said the development amounts to a complete affront to the faith of Hindus. He asked why people of the Muslim community are being allowed at Hindu religious sites when Hindus cannot enter Muslim institutions such as Darul Uloom.

Saini further alleged that the very sarovar restored by Chief Minister Yogi had been turned into a hub of 'love jihad'.

## Memorandum to the administration and the demands
Anil Pratap Saini submitted a memorandum to the District Officer, listing several demands:

- The fun point should be renamed Goraksh Sarovar.
- Entry of non-Sanatani people should be banned.
- Aarti of the idols installed at the sarovar should be permitted both times of the day.

He warned that if the demands were not met, a major agitation would be launched after three days. Saini also said that if the entry of Muslim community members to the site was not stopped, cow-urine sprinklers would be installed at the entry point so that every person entering could be 'purified'.

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