Swami Avimukteshwaranand at fault: Jagadguru Rambhadracharya on Magh Mela row, backs administration

Gwalior, Jan 21 (IANS) Amid the ongoing controversy over Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand being stopped by the Magh Mela administration from proceeding towards the Sangam Nose, Jagadguru Rambhadracharya on Wednesday said that the seer himself committed a "wrongdoing" by attempting to reach the holy River Ganga onboard a chariot and asserted that the administration had not done any injustice to him. 

The remarks come against the backdrop of heightened tensions following an incident on Sunday, during the auspicious occasion of Mauni Amavasya, when Swami Avimukteshwaranand and his supporters were heading towards the Sangam Nose to take a holy dip.

Swami Avimukteshwaranand had alleged that the police stopped him during the procession and also "assaulted" his disciples. During the incident, the spiritual leader claimed that police personnel prevented him and his followers from taking a dip in the Ganga on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya.

Following the incident, Swami Avimukteshwaranand sat on a protest outside his camp, abstaining from food and water, and demanded an apology from senior officials of the Magh Mela administration and the police for what he described as unjust treatment.

Reacting to the episode, Jagadguru Rambhadracharya told reporters that the administration had acted in accordance with the rules.

"The injustice was not done to him; he committed the injustice himself. I am Jagadguru, and he is not even Jagadguru yet. The rules here state that one cannot just go to the River Ganga in a chariot procession. When the police tried to stop him, he was told to go on foot to the Sangam; he committed the wrongdoing himself," Rambhadracharya said.

Mela Officer Rishiraj, meanwhile, had stated that supporters of Swami Avimukteshwaranand had broken barricades on a pontoon bridge that was reserved exclusively for emergency services.

He further stated that the seers attempted to reach the Sangam Nose on a chariot, despite clear restrictions on the movement of vehicles on bathing day.

According to the mela administration, the procession was stopped to avoid any stampede-like situation, as large crowds were already present in the area for the Mauni Amavasya 'snan'.

Swami Avimukteshwaranand, however, dismissed reports suggesting that prior information about his procession was not provided to the authorities.

Speaking to IANS earlier, he questioned the very basis of seeking permission to take a holy dip.

"Permission for what? Does one need permission to take a dip in the Ganga? Have they registered the Ganga in their name? Which company did they register the Ganga with, so that it has become their hereditary property?" he had said.

--IANS

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