Sankaracharya Avimukteswarananda Saraswati Maharaj, popularly known as Jagadguru, who was on a tour to NE states as part of his Gau Dhwaj Yatra (cow protection march), which aims to stop cow slaughter in the country, was turned back from Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland on Thursday. The All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) had opposed his visit, claiming that it interfered with the food habits of the tribal people of the state. Almost confrontation broke between AAPSU and Sankaracharya over his visit. The Papum Pare district administration led by ADC Takar Rava deserves appreciation for tactfully handling the situation.
Sankaracharya was made to fly back from airport itself while AAPSU activist protested outside the airport. The district administrations managed convince him due to which he agreed to fly back without going out of the airport. The visit of Sankaracharya became controversial due to which campaign to stop cow slaughtering. It is for this reason he was not welcomed in a tribal states like Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. This is a message to rest of the country that food habits should not be interfered. Let people decide what they want to eat and not eat. Sankaracharya has announced that he will come back in future to restart his yatra. It may not be possible to stop him every time. There should be a dialogue, so that all parties understand each other’s sentiment.