Two office bearers of Juna Akhara suspended

TheJunaAkharahas suspended two of its prominent office bearers for attending the ceremony where Swami Achyutanand anointed himself as the Shankaracharya of DwarkaSharda Peeth even as condemnation poured in from various quarters of the country denouncing the act of self-anointment.

The Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP), a body of 13 prominent akharas of the country, recommended the Juna Akhara to suspend two of its Shree Mahants. Arjun Puri and Vinod Giri for attending the ceremony in Haridwar on Maha Shivaratri on February 24 .

Saints and seers from states like UP, Uttarakhand and Gujarat are mulling to initiate strict action against self-proclaimed Shankaracharyas.

“After Holi we have convened a meeting of Akhara heads and prominent saints from different parts of the country to discuss this issue. We already made it clear that the saints attending the ceremony would face strict action. Since Puri and Giri attended the function we requested Swami Harigiriji of Juna Akhara for action against them. Puri had faced similar action in the past. But his position was reinstated in Ujjan Kumbh after he apologized. However, he again broke the Akhara’s discipline,” said ABAP president Swami Narendra Giri, who is also the head of Mutt Baghambari Gaddi in Allahabad. Meanwhile, Swami Achyutanand justified his anointment. He said he had the approval of Kashi Vidwatparishad.