Ending his 11-day-long protest, Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwarananda Maharaj announced his decision to leave the Prayagraj Magh Mela on Wednesday morning.
Shankaracharya’s protest for the past 11 days, since January 18, had caused much frustration to the Yogi Adityanath government and created a political controversy.
Opposition political leaders openly supported the saint against the BJP government, while a City Magistrate of Bareilly resigned in support of the Saint and a deputy Sales tax commissioner quit his job in support of the government.
The saint told mediapersons here on Wednesday morning that, “Today, my heart is so distressed that I am leaving this holy place without even bathing. An event has occurred that we never imagined.”
He said,” The authorities had promised him that he would be taken to the Sangam in a palanquin with full respect and bathed in the presence of officials. However, today I am deeply saddened, so leaving this holy place without bathing”, adding that “When there is sadness and anger in the heart, even holy water cannot bring peace.”
Swami Avimukteshwarananda said that bathing in the Sangam is not just a religious act, but also a spiritual tranquillity. He wants to convey to the Sanatani community, the Kumbh Mela Authority, and the Uttar Pradesh government that the fight for justice never ends. He is leaving behind many questions that still await answers.
He said, “Prayagraj has always been a land of faith and peace. He, too, had come here with devotion, but an incident occurred that he never expected. Because of this, he has to return with great sadness. This incident has also weakened his faith in justice and humanity.”
According to the PRO of Shankaracharya, the Saint has left Prayagraj and is on the way to Varanasi, where he will stay for a few days.
On January 18, police stopped the palanquin of Avimukteshwarananda, who was on his way to bathe at the Magh Mela. Disciples protested, leading to a scuffle and accusations of dragging some sadhus by the Shikha (tuft of hair). Following this, Shankaracharya sat on a protest outside the camp. He has not entered the camp for the past 11 days.
The Mela administration issued two notices in two days demanding proof of his Shankaracharya status, to which Avimukteshwarananda responded.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, without naming him, referred to him as “Kalanemi,” further deepening the controversy. In response, Avimukteshwarananda compared Yogi to Kalanemi (name of a demon in Hindu epic) and Aurangzeb.
The Sant Samaj has split into two factions over the Shankaracharya controversy, with all three Shankaracharyas supporting Avimukteshwarananda. Shankaracharya demanded that the administration apologise before he could bathe.
The City Magistrate of Bareilly resigned on January 26 in support of Shankaracharya. Just 24 hours later, Ayodhya Deputy Commissioner( Sales Tax) Prashant Kumar resigned in support of the Chief Minister.