By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Sep 30: Following the recent denial of permission by the state government for Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwarananda Saraswati Maharaj to land in Shillong to propagate his stance against cow slaughter, various right-wing individuals have started spreading hate against Meghalaya on social media.
Platforms like X have been flooded with messages from these individuals. One account, under the name Vladimir Adityanath, posted a series of anti-state tweets following the incident.
“Meghalaya is one of the examples of what happens when the Church is allowed to dominate,” the individual posted on X.
Similarly, another user, Ritu, claimed that the Meghalaya government, supported by the BJP, requested the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to deny the Shankaracharya permission, and that an airport controlled by the Modi Government complied with the request.
“Christian Meghalaya showed their intolerance, but what about the Modi government, which is sitting in power because of Hindu votes alone?” the user posted.
While hate messages on social media are not uncommon, the question remains whether the police will take suo motu cognizance of such hate being spread online.
It may be mentioned that a chartered flight carrying Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwarananda Saraswati Maharaj and his team was prevented from landing at Shillong Airport on Saturday. This occurred against the backdrop of a horde of pressure group members, holding placards and banners, gathering at the airport to protest his visit.
The Shankaracharya had planned to hoist the ‘Gau Dhwaj’ (cow flag) as part of his campaign to stop cow slaughter and to declare the cow as the “Mother of the Nation.”
The Shankaracharya, however, released a video, stating that while he was not allowed to land in Shillong, he had hoisted the Gau Dhwaj aboard his flight, flying over Meghalaya at an altitude of 21,000 feet.
