Shillong, Sept 28: Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati Maharaj was denied permission to land at Shillong’s Umroi Airport on Saturday due to growing concerns over law and order. Various pressure groups gathered outside the airport to protest the arrival of the Hindu religious leader, known for his stance on cow protection and opposition to cow slaughter.
The airport director of Shillong, following inputs from the district administration, denied the landing request of the chartered flight operated by Aircraft Operator – Charlie Foxtrot Aviation Services Pvt. Ltd. (VT-RIA), which was travelling from Agartala to Shillong. Ri Bhoi District authorities had earlier requested the Airport Authority of India (AAI) to deny permission of landing to the chartered flight of Cow protector/vigilante to Shillong Airport, citing law and order situation in Meghalaya.
Ri Bhoi SP Jagpal Singh Dhawoa confirmed the denial, stating, “The airport doesn’t belong to the state government, there are separate rules within the airport, but outside, it falls under the state’s jurisdiction. Even if he were to land, we will ensure that the person is not allowed to come out of the airport.”
He added, “The state government and district administration are concerned about law and order. We have written to the Airport Authority of India not to allow landing of any individual who could cause disturbances. Even Agartala airport denied permission for the flight to take off. He may fly to Guwahati, but whether he travels by road remains to be seen.”
The denial comes amid widespread opposition from various civil society groups, including the Khasi Students Union (KSU), Ri Bhoi Youth Federation (RBYF), Federation of Khasi-Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP), Hynniewtrep National Youth Front (HNYF), and others. These groups, gathered at Umroi Airport, have vocally opposed Shankaracharya’s plans to visit Meghalaya and hold rallies advocating for a ban on cow slaughter.
KSU general secretary Donald V Thabah stated, “We will decide our next course of action, but the matter depends entirely on the priest. He’s coming here to impose a ban on cow slaughter in Meghalaya and across India, which raises suspicion. Meghalaya is the highest beef-consuming state in the country. For us, beef is a staple food, and this feels like an infringement on our rights. We respect other cultures—we don’t force Hindus to eat beef, nor do we impose on Muslims to eat pork. We expect the same respect in return.”
Thabah emphasized Meghalaya’s Christian and tribal-majority status, stressing the cultural importance of meat consumption in the region. “I feel that that person that priests should understand that in a secular country, we have every right to eat what we want. A tribal culinary always Consist of a lot of Meat and we eat a lot of meat and In this different from other cultures, but we should learn to respect each other culture and for us since he is coming into our state, we will not allow this.”
“We appreciate the government of Nagaland because it has taken a very strong initiative to stand by its people to prevent that person from coming to preach to impose something which is not acceptable to us. And we feel that our government should also be more strict, it should show more spine to block such people who are coming into our state to impose their culture on us,” he said.
The protestors remain vigilant, with many stationed at Byrnihat in anticipation that Shankaracharya might attempt to enter Meghalaya by road from Guwahati. ” We are not going to take any chances, today itself we are going to wait in Byrnihat so that it maybe he might come by road and we are not going to stop, Tomorrow also, day after tomorrow, we will be, we will continue to be Vigilant, So us to prevent this person to enter our state,” Thabah added.
FKJGP President, Dundee Khongsit, echoed these sentiments, asserting, “We will not allow anyone to enter our state with the intention of imposing ideologies that go against our people’s sentiments. We are prepared to protest if he attempts to enter by any means.”
After the protests from Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya has now joined the growing opposition to Shankaracharya’s ‘Gau Dhwaj Sthapana Bharat Yatra’.
The District Magistrate of East Khasi Hills has issued prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC, banning the assembly of five or more people to maintain order.