‘Mujhe Bardasht Nahi Hua…”: Ayodhya GST Commissioner Breaks Down, Resigns Amid Shankaracharya Row | Controversy Explained

India

oi-Swastika Sruti

The
controversy
surrounding
Shankaracharya
Swami
Avimukteshwaranand
took
a
serious
turn
in
Uttar
Pradesh
on
Tuesday
after
an
Ayodhya-based
GST
officer
resigned
from
service,
citing
strong
objections
to
remarks
made
against
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi
and
Chief
Minister
Yogi
Adityanath.

The
resignation
has
added
an
administrative
dimension
to
a
dispute
that
initially
began
as
a
religious
confrontation
during
the
Magh
Mela.

What
Is
The
Shankaracharya
row?

The
Shankaracharya
row
is
a
growing
controversy
in
Uttar
Pradesh
that
began
as
a
religious
dispute
during
the
Magh
Mela
but
soon
turned
into
a
political
and
administrative
flashpoint.

The
issue
involves
Swami
Avimukteshwaranand
Saraswati,
the
state
government,
and
senior
constitutional
authorities,
and
has
now
sparked
resignations
by
government
officers
and
sharp
public
debate.

The
controversy
centres
around
Swami
Avimukteshwaranand
Saraswati,
a
Shankaracharya,
and
his
confrontation
with
the
Uttar
Pradesh
administration.

The
row
mainly
revolves
around
allegations
of
disrespect
towards
religious
traditions,
the
conduct
of
government
authorities
during
a
major
religious
event,
and
strong
public
statements
made
by
both
sides.

Over
time,
the
dispute
expanded
beyond
religious
concerns
and
entered
the
political
and
constitutional
space,
drawing
reactions
from
senior
government
officials
and
leading
to
resignations
within
the
administrative
machinery.

When
Did
the
Controversy
Begin?

The
issue
began
on
January
18,
during
the
Magh
Mela
in
Prayagraj,
which
coincided
with
Mauni
Amavasya,
one
of
the
most
significant
bathing
days
of
the
Hindu
calendar.

On
that
day,
authorities
allegedly
stopped
the
Shankaracharya’s
palanquin
while
it
was
moving
through
the
mela
area.
His
followers
claimed
that
some
disciples
were
pushed
and
treated
harshly
by
officials
and
security
personnel.
The
administration,
however,
maintained
that
crowd
control
measures
were
necessary
due
to
the
massive
gathering
of
devotees.

How
Did
the
Situation
Escalate?

Following
the
incident,
Swami
Avimukteshwaranand
staged
a
sit-in
protest
outside
his
camp,
accusing
the
administration
of
insulting
saints
and
undermining
religious
customs.
His
statements
quickly
gained
attention,
with
sharp
criticism
directed
at
the
state
government.

The
situation
escalated
further
when
Chief
Minister
Yogi
Adityanath,
while
addressing
another
issue,
used
the
term
“Kaalnemi” to
describe
certain
individuals
pretending
to
be
saints.
Though
not
named
directly,
the
remark
was
widely
interpreted
as
being
aimed
at
critics
within
the
religious
community.

In
response,
the
Shankaracharya
made
strong
and
confrontational
statements
against
the
Chief
Minister
and
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi.
These
remarks
triggered
outrage
among
government
supporters
and
officials,
who
said
the
language
used
crossed
the
line
of
democratic
protest.

Administrative
Fallout
and
Officer
Resignations

The
row
took
a
serious
administrative
turn
when
two
senior
officers
resigned
within
days
of
each
other.

Bareilly
City
Magistrate
Alankar
Agnihotri
resigned
on
Republic
Day,
citing
alleged
mistreatment
of
the
Shankaracharya’s
followers
during
the
Magh
Mela
and
opposing
certain
education
regulations.
The
Uttar
Pradesh
government
later
suspended
him
and
ordered
a
departmental
enquiry.

Soon
after,
Prashant
Kumar
Singh,
Deputy
Commissioner
of
GST
posted
in
Ayodhya,
resigned,
saying
he
was
deeply
hurt
by
the
Shankaracharya’s
remarks
against
the
Prime
Minister
and
Chief
Minister.
He
said
he
could
not
compromise
on
self-respect
and
felt
a
moral
duty
to
oppose
what
he
described
as
baseless
allegations.

These
resignations
transformed
the
controversy
into
a
wider
debate
on
the
conduct
of
civil
servants,
freedom
of
expression,
and
respect
for
constitutional
authorities.

The
title
Shankaracharya
traces
its
origins
to
Adi
Shankaracharya,
the
8th-century
philosopher
who
established
four
major
monasteries,
or
mathas,
across
India
to
spread
Advaita
Vedanta.

Traditionally,
Shankaracharyas
have
been
spiritual
leaders
who
guide
religious
thought
and
rarely
engage
directly
in
political
confrontation.
However,
in
modern
times,
some
Shankaracharyas
have
taken
strong
public
positions
on
social
and
political
issues,
leading
to
occasional
clashes
with
governments.

This
historical
backdrop
makes
the
current
row
significant,
as
it
reflects
changing
dynamics
between
religious
authority
and
state
power.