The Uttarakhand Congress Committee has resolved that its members will observe two hours of "maun vrat" (silence) at temples near their homes across the state on Saturday and Sunday to protest the “insult of Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati.”

The Magh Mela administration in Allahabad had prevented the sadhu from going to Sangam to take the holy bath on January 18 on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya and police had been accused of manhandling his devotees. Since then, Avimukteshwaranand has been on dharna in front of his camp along the Ganga in Allahabad.

"My Maun Amavasya is incomplete because I was stopped from taking holy baths. My ritual would be complete when the state government tenders an apology to me," Avimukteshwaranand said.

He fell ill on Friday afternoon and complained of breathing problems.

“We’ll observe maun vrat to express our solidarity with the Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath. Every Hindu respects the institution of Shankaracharya except those who are with the BJP,” Ganesh Godiyal, the state Congress chief, said.