The sacred sands of Prayagraj’s Sangam have witnessed a bitter dispute between Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and Magh Mela officials, stirring unease across Sanatan Dharma circles. Voices from Ujjain’s Swami Jitendra Saraswati and Varanasi’s Mahamandaleshwar Gyan Das Maharaj have amplified calls for accountability and unity.
Mahamandaleshwar Gyan Das was unequivocal: the police’s treatment of youthful sevaks is ‘regrettable and divisive,’ risking fractures in Hindu brotherhood. He demanded strict action against perpetrators to heal divisions and staunch future threats to religious harmony.
Swami Jitendra Saraswati, based in Varanasi, contextualized the event within recurring patterns of bathuk-police frictions. He explained barricades as vital for shahi snan safety, positioning raths 2 km out and barring vehicles from the core bathing precincts.
With rhetorical force, he questioned the drama over a mere 50-meter trek: ‘What hubris defies Mother Ganga, where devotees bare all in devotion?’ He disputed the Shankaracharya credentials, highlighting no witnessed succession after Swaroopanand Ji’s samadhi and judicial bans on banners. Branding it a Congress-SP fueled intrigue, Swami Jitendra implored spiritual leaders to prioritize sanctity over politics.