There are certain dates that quietly etch themselves into the political history of a state. For Uttar Pradesh, 24 April 2013 was one such day. On that morning, the then Chief Minister, Akhilesh Yadav, landed in the United States, accompanied by Azam Khan, the most powerful minister in his cabinet. The journey was not a routine political excursion; it carried the fragrance of prestige.

Akhilesh Yadav was invited to Harvard University — that presumed citadel of global scholarship — to speak on the organisation of the Maha Kumbh, a spectacle of faith where more than 12 crore devotees had gathered in 2013. The event at Harvard carried an evocative title: “Kumbh Mela: Mapping the Ephemeral City". For India, and especially for Uttar Pradesh, it was a rare honour. A Chief Minister was to narrate to the world the triumph of managing the largest human congregation in recorded history — a feat rooted as much in ancient spiritual traditions as in modern administrative precision.

But destiny, on that day, had other plans. At Boston airport, American officials detained Azam Khan for brief questioning — some say an hour, others insist barely 10 minutes, but Azam claimed it to be an hour precisely. Regardless of duration, the incident ignited fury in Akhilesh Yadav. Offended by what he saw as an insult to his minister, he cancelled every scheduled programme. Even the Harvard lecture was abandoned. The presentation on the Maha Kumbh was delivered instead by the then Chief Secretary, Javed Usmani.

There is another striking detail. The responsibility of representing the Maha Kumbh — considered one of the holiest expressions of Sanatana faith — was given to a........

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