Dehradun, July 13 Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday lauded 'Operation Kalnemi', under which more than 100 imposters have been apprehended so far, and also issued a stern warning to those "conspiring" and disguising themselves as "sadhus" to bring disrepute to the Sanatan Dharma.
Notably, the 'Operation Kalnemi' was launched by the state government recently, to check the fraudsters who impersonate as holy men in saffron robes and exploit unsuspecting citizens, going to the extent of robbing their valuables by beguiling them.
Addressing an event, the Uttarakhand Chief Minister said, "We have launched Operation Kalnemi to expose the true identities of those in disguise and ensure they cannot commit any wrongdoing here. Under this operation, more than 100 Kalnemis have been apprehended so far. Now, no one in disguise will be able to harm Sanatan or deceive people."
According to police sources, more than 150 suspicious fake spiritualists have been apprehended since the launch of the operation, primarily from areas like Dehradun, Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar.
Those arrested include a few persons from the minority community, who were found to have disguised their identities as "babas", hailing from different states, including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi and more.
As part of the ongoing drive, 66 suspicious individuals were specifically detained in Udham Singh Nagar on Saturday alone.
The 'Operation Kalnemi' has also received widespread support from Hindu religious groups in the state for clamping down on fake seers.
Hindu Rashtra Sena president Prabodhanand Giri welcomed the campaign and demanded that the operation should be run till Kumbh and the culprits be dealt with sternly.
Claiming that "jihadists" under the garb of saffron are fooling and looting people, he said 'Operation Kalnemi' is a must to save Uttarakhand from them.
Some Hindu saints in Ayodhya called for implementing it nationwide.
The drive against fraudulent spiritual leaders was named 'Operation Kalnemi', apparently drawing its origin from Kalnemi, a powerful Asura (demon) from Hindu mythology.
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