On Wednesday, 9th October, the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad proposed prohibiting “non-Sanatanis” from establishing food stalls and rebranding Urdu phrases, among other measures, to ensure the religious purity of the 2025 Kumbh Mela in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj. Regarding the plan to prohibit ‘non-Sanatanis’ from opening food stalls, the seers’ body stated that it would adopt a resolution after Diwali and send it to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for clearance.
The Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad chief Ravindra Puri said, “Recently, many incidents have come to light such as mixing of urine in juice, and spitting in food, among others. All Sanatanis will be Hindus in the Kumbh Mela… so it will not be tolerated if someone defiles things and feeds them.” The Akhara Parishad has 13 main Akharas including Nirmohi, Nirvani, Digamber, Mahanirvani, Atal, Bada Udasin, Nirmal, Niranjani, Juna, Avahan, Anand, Agni and Naya Udasin.
According to the reports, Urdu terminology like ‘Shahi Snan’ and ‘Peshwai’ would also be renamed in Hindi as ‘Rajsi Snan’ and ‘Chhavni Pravesh’. According to the organization, using Hindi terminology has been a custom that has been going on for centuries.
“In a meeting held recently at Niranjani Akhara in Prayagraj, a proposal has been passed to change the names and the chief minister Yogi Adityanath has been informed about it. He may soon make a formal announcement in this regard,” Puri said.
This comes a month after Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav declared that Mahakal’s procession in Ujjain would soon be termed ‘Rajsi Sawaari’ instead of ‘Shahi Sawaari’. The Akhara’s other planned procedures include the deployment of officials and policemen who do not consume meat or alcohol to safeguard the fair’s ‘purity’.
Senior Superintendent of Police (Kumbh Mela) Rajesh Dwivedi stated that Maha Kumbh is a religious event, and as the consumption and sale of meat and alcohol is prohibited throughout the fair area, police officers are also expected not to consume them. Reports also mention that the background of the police officials will be checked before deploying them on duty.
Notably, on 23rd September this year, several Hindu outfits in Uttar Pradesh organized a Panchayat inviting all the communities for discussion on increased incidents of urine and spit jihad. This panchayat issued an appeal to economically and socially boycott individuals who mix spit and pee into meals and beverages. The Panchayat then handed over a memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister of the state, the local MLA, and the ACP. In addition, a call was made to take action against persons engaged in such activities under the National Security Act.
Following a series of incidents of urine and spit mixing in the food in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanathon 24th September instructed the launch of a statewide campaign to inspect all such eateries and carry out police verification of their employees. As per official sources, the chief minister’s directives were issued during a high-level meeting with senior officials. The chief minister stated that, if necessary, regulations should be revised to ensure the health and safety of the general public.
Adityanath mentioned that reports of human waste and other substances allegedly mixed into food products and juices have emerged from various parts of the country. He described these incidents as ‘repulsive’. “The names of the owners, managers, and others working there must be prominently displayed at every dhaba, restaurant, and eatery…police verification of all the persons working there must be conducted,” Adityanath said.
He also instructed that CCTVs be installed not only in customer seating areas but throughout other parts of the restaurant.
