Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, a Hindu seer, left the Magh Mela in Prayagraj “with a heavy heart” after he was unable to take the ceremonial holy dip at the Triveni Sangam on Mauni Amavasya, following a confrontation with the local administration. The seer staged a 10-day sit-in protest alleging disrespect after officials asked him to walk to the riverbank instead of proceeding in a palanquin. The Prayagraj administration is now reportedly weighing the possibility of arranging another opportunity for him to perform the ritual bath.
The incident, which happened on January 18, has snowballed into a major controversy, with critics accusing the authorities of slighting Swami Avimukteshwaranand, who identifies himself as a Shankaracharya. The matter has also reached the Allahabad High Court, where a petition has been filed seeking a probe into the episode.
When Swami Avimukteshwaranand approached the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati in a palanquin for the Mauni Amavasya bath, police and administrative officials stopped him. Citing heavy crowds at the Sangam, they asked him to dismount and proceed on foot, leading to a confrontation.
Swami refused, saying the directive violated the traditional protocol and dignity accorded to his position. Tensions briefly escalated, with his supporters clashing with police.
The Mela administration, however, alleged that the Swami and his supporters broke a barricade on a pontoon bridge and moved towards the ghats, creating significant challenges for the police managing the crowd. The administration has sent a notice to Swami Avimukteshwaranand, questioning on what basis he claimed the title of Shankaracharya, based on a Supreme Court order that had halted the appointment and consecration of Shankaracharyas.
Following the dispute, Swami Avimukteshwaranand staged a sit-in protest against the Magh Mela administration and state authorities over the alleged mistreatment. After continuing the protest for 10 days, he left the Prayagraj fairgrounds on January 28 without taking the holy dip, expressing distress and disappointment.
“Taking a dip in the Sangam brings inner peace, but my mind is so distressed today that I am leaving without bathing,” he said, adding that the episode had “shaken his inner self” and left him returning “with a sense of emptiness and a heavy heart.”
The episode also drew political reactions, with some leaders targeting the ruling BJP government. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav termed the incident a display of “arrogance,” calling it “extremely ominous” that the Jagadguru Shankaracharya left the Magh Mela without taking a holy dip. He said the global Sanatan community was deeply pained and accused the BJP of being “blinded by power”.
Amid the controversy, the seer’s aide claimed that senior officials were trying to arrange for him to perform the Purnima bath with due respect. Swami Avimukteshwaranand has demanded a written apology from the administration, action against those allegedly responsible for assaulting him, and the formulation of a standard operating procedure (SOP) for the bathing of all four Shankaracharyas.
Senior Prayagraj officials, however, denied making any such move, and there has been no official confirmation of efforts to facilitate another bath. The claims from the seer’s camp were rejected by the administration.
Meanwhile, a letter petition has been filed before the Allahabad High Court seeking a CBI probe into the January 18 incident, including allegations of custodial assault on juvenile Brahmin batuks. The petition also seeks directions to the Uttar Pradesh government to suspend the Prayagraj commissioner, district magistrate, police commissioner and the Magh Mela Adhikari of Magh Mela 2026, and to register an FIR in connection with the episode.
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