The Madhya Pradesh forest department clashed with Jyotish and Dwarka Sharda Peeth Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati the other day. An NRI disciple put up a statue of Lord Shiva near the Adi Sankaracharya cave at Sankal Ghat on the banks of Narmada. Forest department officials registered a case of encroachment of forest land and demolished the wall against which the idol had been placed.
The Shankaracharya then stepped in and said the wall would have prevented water from flowing into the cave and was an attempt to protect it. “Are forest laws superior to the need for preserving the ancient place of worship?” he asked Forest Minister Sartaj Singh who had alleged this was an attempt to grab forest land. Later, however, the two shared a common platform in Bhopal and the minister said, “Swamiji saral aur sant hain, ab koi vivad nahi hai.”