Seeing relaxation in the court order banning the immersion of the idols in rivers Swami Avimuketshwaranand has moved an application in the Allahabad high court for impleadment.
The application is likely to come up for hearing on Monday. Swami is leading from the front the agitation against the district administration of Varanasi for complying with the Court’s order. This has resulted in violence in temple town on September 22/23 and on October 5.
"A canard is being spread that we are against the order of the Allahabad high court which has banned the immersion of idols in Ganga to curb pollution in rivers in 2013. The objective of the court’s order is to prevent pollution not to curb the ancient practice of Sanatan Dharma of immersing the idols in a flowing river. We are for curbing pollution in rivers and ready to be hauled up for contempt of court if the idols cause pollution. The idols are made from the clay obtained from the river Ganga with no chemical or plaster of Paris so how can the idols cause pollution in rivers’’, said Swami Avimuketshwaranand, who heads Srividya Mutt in Varanasi. He is a disciple of Shankaracharya of Dwarika Peeth Swami Swroopanand Saraswati. Swami also heads RsRsGanga Seva Abhinayam’ for cleaning the Ganga.
RsRsAfter Navratri we immerse the idols of the mother Goddess Durga in river Ganga –the river is also mother for us. We are not against the order of the Allahabad high court; we are fighting for protection of the ancient practice of immersion of idols in flowing river. It has become all the more important for protecting the Ganga as hundreds of dams and barrage has been constructed all along the course of the river from Gangotri to Gangasagar drastically reducing the availability of water and impacting the flow of the river. If we drop the demand for immersion of idols in river then not only the ancient practice will fade away the river will also die a gradual death’’, argued Swami Avimuketshwaranand.
He said the district administration has made alternative arrangements and constructed two ponds but that will be against the RsShastra’ and RsPracheen Parampara’ to immerse the idols in stagnant pool of water.
Swami confirmed that he has spoken to the minister Om Prakash Singh and PWD minister Shivpal Yadav. RsRsWe wanted the CM Akhilesh Yadav to come to Varanasi and give a clear assurance that incidents like the brutal police lath charge on September 22 and October 5 will never happen again. Had the CM had come would have sent a very positive signal to the people. By organizing RsAnaya Pratikar Yatra on October 5 we have shown to the government that people are angry over the curbs on the ancient practice. Now it’s for the people to decide whether the person sitting on throne of lucknow is a sensitive or insensitive politician’’, said Swami.