The All India Akhara Parishad, the highest body of sadhus in the country, has proposed that the Yogi Adityanath government implement restricted entry to the Kumbh Mela in
Allahabad, scheduled from January 14 to February 26, 2025.

Swami Hari Giri, the general secretary of the parishad, emphasised the need for visitors to present a valid identity card with an attested photocopy for entry. A minister in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh immediately supported the proposal.

Giri told reporters in Allahabad: “This order is necessary for the protection of the Kumbh Mela at Sangam. But lakhs of devotees and saints would camp there from early January till the end of March. Hatred is growing in the society and more and more people are turning violent. We need to restrict the entry of unidentified people into
the mela.”

“We have suggested that the state government ensure that only those with a valid identity card and an attested copy of an identity proof enter the mela,” Giri said, adding that a gazetted officer, municipal councillor, panchayat chief or secretary can attest it.

Reacting to the Supreme Court’s order against the Uttar Pradesh government’s decree to shopkeepers and hawkers along the Kanwar Yatra route across the state to put up their names on their eateries, Giri said: “We support the order of the government even if the SC doesn’t agree to it. In the past, shopkeepers used to mention their names along with the names of the stores. But the practice was discontinued a few years ago without any specific reason.”

He added: “The shopkeepers near the Kumbh Mela should also be asked to declare their identities (write their names) on the nameplates of their eateries and other shops to avoid confusion. The government can make provision for online registration of their shops in the mela, which is bigger (in size) than a large city.”

Dayashankar Mishra Dayalu, the minister of state (with independent charge) for Ayush, food safety and drug administration, said: “We support the state government’s decision to ask the shopkeepers along the Kanwar Yatra route to put up their names on their installations. We also support the demand of the Akhara Parishad. These decisions are necessary to maintain law and order and prevent any future clash in the name of religion.”