Suspended Bareilly Magistrate meets Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati in Kashi; announces protest march on Feb 7 against SC-ST Act

The suspended City Magistrate of Bareilly district in Uttar Pradesh, who recently made headlines after resigning from his post, met Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati at Vidya Math in Kedar Ghat on Sunday evening.

Due to the Shankaracharya’s vow of silence, the conversation was conducted through gestures.

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Alankar Agnihotri announced a march to Delhi on February 7 regarding the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Act. He said that the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) support base is continuously declining. He will respond to the suspension issue through constitutional means via the court. He added that the movement will be against the SC-ST Act and will take a large form in Delhi. He alleged that people were being falsely implicated in fabricated cases.

”People from various organisations and institutions across the country will march to Delhi on February 7. If the SC-ST Act is not repealed by February 6th, considering it a draconian law, then we will all march to Delhi, the capital of the country, on February 7th. Due to the Shankaracharya’s vow of silence, a detailed discussion on this issue was not possible,” he said.

Agnihotri said that since Maharaj Ji was observing a vow of silence, not much conversation could take place. ”In Sanatan Dharma, it is considered essential to seek the blessings of elders before any auspicious work. The entire country is suffering the consequences of the SC-ST Act. 85 per cent of the people do not want this act. The general category is very angry with the central government,” he claimed.

A strategy is being prepared for the march to Delhi, and discussion with Maharaj Ji on this matter was not possible, he told reporters.

“I have no political aspirations; I am driven by a desire for the welfare of the country. If the University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations that were introduced had been implemented, a situation like a civil war could have arisen. At the root of all this is the SC-ST Act. There is an intention to benefit a particular class. When the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) exists, what is the need for any special act? The UGC regulations were divisive,” he said while adding that” the question of returning to my job doesn’t even arise! I have a lot of work to do. It was necessary to start this initiative to prevent harm to the country”.

The Uttar Pradesh government on January 26 suspended Agnihotri, then posted as Bareilly Nagar Magistrate, on charges of indiscipline.

Earlier the same day, he had resigned from his post, expressing displeasure over government policies, particularly the new UGC regulations and issues related to Swami Avimukteshwaranand, triggering a major administrative and political controversy.