Meghalaya: Agartala Airport halts Shankaracharya's flight to Shillong amidst security concerns

The airport authority in Agartala allegedly barred Jagadguru Shankaracharya Swami Shri Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati's chartered flight to fly to Shillong, Meghalaya on September 28.
 

The Yatra leaders, who were travelling on a chartered flight, were denied entry into Shillong while at Agartala Airport after the APD (Air Passenger Duty) did not receive a confirmation from Shillong Airport authorities.
 

This development halted the planned visit to Shillong, following which the leaders arrived in Guwahati at 3 pm.
 

The reasons behind this denial of entry haven't been fully clarified in official sources yet. It may involve logistical, administrative, or security considerations, though these would require confirmation. 
 

The Gau Dhwaj Sthapana Bharat Yatra is a religious campaign with a strong focus on the protection and reverence of cows in India, led by Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, a respected religious figure.
 

This incident has the potential to raise further questions around the event’s planning and its impact on religious and political activities in the region.
 

Earlier, members of pressure groups, including the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU), the Hynñiewtrep Youth Council (HYC), and the Hynñiewtrep Integrated Territorial Organisation (HIITO), assembled outside Shillong Airport, Umroi to oppose the visit of Gau Dhwaj Sthapana Bharat Yatra leaders for an upcoming cow protection rally.
 

Amid the escalating tensions, the District Administration of Ri Bhoi had on September 27 deployed police teams at the airport location, and later informed the pressure group members that provisions to not allow the Hindu Yatra leaders in the state have been enforced.