The Akhil Bhartiya Akhara Parishad, a Hindu religious body, has demanded that no shops be allotted to “non-Hindus” in the Mahakumbh Mela area in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj, reported The Indian Express on Friday.

The Mahakumbh Mela will begin on January 13 and conclude on February 26.

“A trend has been seen across India to corrupt the Sanatani people – Hindus, sadhus and their castes, be it Brahmins or Thakurs,” Ravindra Puri, the religious body’s president, told reporters. “Some hardliners want to corrupt our religion.”

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He added: “Therefore, to ensure that our religion is not corrupted, we are trying to ensure that there are no shops of non-Hindus in the mela area.”

The authorities, however, have stated that the allocation of shops at the religious event is carried out through a bidding process.

“Whosoever qualifies the bidding criteria gets the allocation,” Vijay Kiran Anand, the officer in charge of the event, told The Indian Express. “There is no question of anything else.”

Meanwhile, the All India Muslim Jamaat, a Muslim religious body, has opposed the Akhil Bhartiya Akhara Parishad’s demand, stating that it will create a rift in society, reported The Times of India on Monday.

“This decision would promote communalism and spread hatred in society,” said Maulana Mufti Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi, the national president of the organisation. “The fair should be completed with peace and tranquillity. I urge the Uttar Pradesh government to initiate legal action against such people.”