Pannun is the chief of banned outfit Sikhs For Justice and has been designated a terrorist by the Indian government.
Addressing the media in Mahakumbh Nagar, Mahant Ravindra Puri, the president of the Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad, said, “If this person named Pannun dares to enter our Maha Kumbh, he will be beaten and driven out. We have seen hundreds of such lunatics.”
“This is the Magh Mela, where Sikhs and Hindus are united. Pannun’s attempts to instigate division are uncalled for. It is the Sikh community that has kept our Sanatan tradition alive. They have safeguarded Sanatan Dharma,” he said.
Pointing to the shared spiritual ties between Hindu and Sikh communities, the Akhada Parishad president said, “We have Naga sadhus in both our religions, and we are all soldiers of Sanatan Dharma. That’s why we do not take such delusional threats seriously.”
He also highlighted that Pannun’s inflammatory language has always been aimed at sowing division and targeting Sanatan Dharma. “We should not give too much importance to Pannun’s statements, as his goal has always been to create unrest and attack the very fabric of our traditions,” he said. Mahant Ravindra Puri also pointed out that three of the prominent ‘akhadas’ — Bada Udasin Akhada, Naya Udasin Akhada, and Nirmal Akhada — are based in Punjab and are home to revered saints. “Thus, we do not take such extremists seriously,” he added.
