The Gau Dhwaj Sthapana Bharat Yatra, the nationwide movement to ban cow slaughter, ran into turbulence in Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday when the Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati had to cut short his visit to Itanagar from the airport itself following the “advice” from the district administration.

A police official said that they requested the wheelchair-bound Shankaracharya and his team to return from the airport because the administration apprehended law and order issues if they decided to go ahead with their proposed yatra on Friday or hold any related event in thestate capital.

The district administration had on September 23 denied permission to the rally because the organisers of the yatra had neither obtained the mandatory no-objection certificate (NOC) from the police nor any permission from the district administration. The police were instructed to ensure that no unauthorised movement takes place.

The BJP-led government in Arunachal Pradesh is headed by Pema Khandu.

The police team also apprised the six-member team, led by the top seer, about the All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) members protesting outside the airport against the yatrafrom 8am.

The students union has been opposing to the yatra because they do not want anyone to dictate what they should eat or not. According to the AAPSU, cow is considered an animal in Arunachal, not God, and is sacrificed/used in most functions/rituals.

The police official said: “The Shankarcharya, who had arrived with his team, on a chartered flight around 9.30 am, listened to us and cooperated with us. They flew back around 11 am from the airport. Everything wassettled amicably.”

The yatra started from Ayodhya on September 22 and ended on October 26 in Delhi. On Wednesday, the Shankaracharya had appealed to the Northeast chief ministers to not deny permission for the yatra in their respective states.

The top seer was in Sikkim on Wednesday.

An AAPSU leader told reporters: “They can promote their religion or dietary preferences in their locality, but in our state we don’t consider cow as our mother. We sacrifice cow in most of our rituals and ceremonies. AAPSU will always stand for the indigenous people. Nobody can hurt the sentiments of the indigenous people.”

It is not only in Arunachal Pradesh that the proposed Yatra has faced opposition in the Northeast. All three states have either the BJP or its allies heading the government.

On September 11, the Nagaland cabinet denied permission to the proposed yatra in Kohima, in the interest of maintainence of public order following opposition by leading civil society organisations and political parties, including the BJP.

The common refrain of the organisations was that the yatra, may hurt the sentiments of the Naga people and may adversely impact prevailing socio-religious harmony in the state.

On September 25, the Kohima district administration denied permission to the Yatra.

Nagaland govement also issued a statement saying that Article 371A of the Constitution of India protects the religious and social practices of the Nagas and the Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA).

The NDPP had said that Article 371A of the Constitution protects the religious and social practices of the Nagas and the Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) and the government of Nagaland have decided not to implement the Ban on Cow Slaughter Act 2019 based on 371A.

Nagaland has a coalition government headed by the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), in which BJP is a key constituent

In Meghalaya, two ministers — Ampareen Lyngdoh and Rakkam A. Sangma — openly opposed the movement for banning cow slaughter in the state.

Meghalaya government is headed by the NPP, a BJP ally

A leading civil society oraganisation, the Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM), has urged the state government to not allow the yatra in Shillong on October 2.

On September 12, a press conference called by the organisers of the yatra had to be cancelled after members of another influential organisation, the Hynñiewtrep Youth Council (HYC), gathered at the venue to oppose the yatra.