'Guru should be responsible, not stubborn': Kinnar Akhara expels former Bollywood actor Mamta Kulkarni over ‘Shankaracharya’ spat

PRAYAGRAJ: Kinnar Akhara has expelled former Bollywood actor Mamta Kulkarni after she criticised Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand in his Megha Mela row, saying “his actions led to his disciples getting beaten”.Kulkarni — aka Shri Yamai Mamta Nandgiri — had questioned Avimukteshwaranand two days back, asking who appointed him Shankaracharya and why he needed a palanquin ride amid millions. She felt he could’ve walked to the bathing area instead of insisting on a palanquin ride. A guru should be responsible, not stubborn, she added.Kulkarni was alluding to the events of Jan 18 when Avimukteshwaranand’s palanquin was stopped during the Mela at Sangam in Prayagraj while he was heading for a Mauni Amavasya dip, leading to a showdown between the cops and his disciples, many of whom were allegedly beaten up.

The administration insisted the area was a novehicle zone and the seer’s palanquin was not allowed.Kinnar Akhara’s Mahamandaleshwar (divisional leader) Swami Laxmi Narayan Tripathi announced Kulkarni’s expulsion. “After holding a meeting with Akhara officials, it was decided that Shri Yamai Mamta Nandgiri will not have any connection with Kinnar Akhara. We do not want any kind of controversy,” Tripathi said in a video on Tuesday.

Tripathi slammed the Prayagraj administration over the way Avimukteshwaranand’s “batuk (young Brahmin boys) were beaten and their sacred threads pulled on the day of Mauni Amavasya”, calling it an attack on “Sanatan Dharma”.Kinnar Akhara includes women, men, and transgender individuals. Kulkarni had drawn controversy earlier when she was made Mahamandaleshwar of the Akhara during last year’s Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, triggering a massive uproar.