[Bengia Ajum]
HOLLONGI, 26 Sep: A major confrontation between members of the All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) and Sankaracharya Avimukteswarananda Saraswati Maharaj, popularly known as Jagadguru, and his delegates was averted at the Donyi Polo airport here after an hour-long parley.
The Sankaracharya was on a visit to the state as part of the Gau Dhwaj Yatra (cow protection march) which aims to stop cow slaughter in the country. The AAPSU had opposed his visit, claiming that it interfered with the food habits of the tribal people of the state.
As soon as the chartered flight carrying the sankaracharya arrived at 9:30 am, the situation at the airport turned tense. The activists of AAPSU who were protesting his visit gathered outside the airport and started the protest.
The Papum Pare district administration, led by Balijan ADC Takar Rava, along with Donyi Polo Airport Director P Narendran received the sankaracharya and swiftly escorted him to the VIP lounge of the airport.
Papum Pare SP Taru Gusar monitored the situation outside the airport.
For around one hour, Rava and Narendran spoke with sankaracharya, and finally managed to convince him to return without leaving the airport.
Initially, the sankaracharya insisted on going outside the airport and protested the authorities’ move to stop him from going ahead with his yatra.
“Sankaracharya was initially very agitated and wanted to leave the airport. He also asked the authorities to bring the AAPSU activists inside the airport, saying he wanted to meet them. When the local authorities told him about the possibility of a breakdown of law and order, he finally agreed to return. But he also said he will come back to Arunachal and continue his yatra in the future,” said an official.
The ADC later told mediapersons that it was made clear to the visiting sankaracharya that the people of the state and the government would always welcome him to Arunachal Pradesh. “We told him that he was stopped because his Gau Dhwaj Yatra was opposed by the AAPSU; otherwise he would be welcomed to the state. We requested him to return. He was convinced and therefore agreed to return,” informed Rava.
AAPSU general secretary Ritum Tali, who was part of the protest, said that the union is not against any religion, individual, or institution but opposes attempt to interfere with the food habits of the people. “Cow is sacred for Hindus but for us tribals it is just a simple food. So we will never accept this attempt to try interfering with the food habits of innocent tribal people,” said Tali.
Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati is the shankaracharya of the Jyotish Peeth in Uttarakhand. He was made the new shankaracharya of Jyotish Peeth after the death of Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati. He is the 46th shankaracharya of the Jyotish Peeth.
