In a move blending religious activism with digital outreach, Shankaracharya of Uttarakhand-based Jyotirmath, Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, on Thursday (May 21, 2026) announced the launch of GO-LX, an online platform aimed to buy cows and prevent them from getting slaughtered.

The Shankaracharya is currently undertaking a cow protection yatra across Uttar Pradesh. The campaign began earlier this month and is expected to continue until July.

“The proposed website, Go-LX, is being designed on the lines of online classified platforms, allowing livestock owners or traders intending to sell cows to post advertisements. Cow protection volunteers and interested buyers would then be able to connect with sellers and arrange purchases,” he said in Sultanpur.

He added that the initiative would enable Hindu cattle owners across the country to directly sell cows to buyers associated with cow protection efforts.

“This idea emerged from suggestions made by members of the Hindu community committed to cow welfare,” he said, adding that the website was expected to become operational within a day or two.

The religious leader also said that a narrative was being spread through social media and certain news outlets claiming that if Muslims stopped buying cows or consuming beef, Hindu cattle farmers would face an economic crisis. He said such claims were being used to create confusion and division in society. He stated that economic and social issues should be understood based on facts and real circumstances rather than being viewed through a religious lens.

The Shankaracharya began the Statewide cow protection march weeks after the police in Prayagraj, in February, registered a case against him over allegations of molesting two minors aged 14 and 17, following directions from a special court. He has denied the charges, calling them false and politically motivated, and claimed that the complaint came after a dispute with the Prayagraj district administration over alleged assaults on his followers during the Mauni Amavasya bathing day on January 18, 2026.

The conflict escalated in the following weeks, with the authorities issuing notices questioning his use of the title “Shankaracharya” and accusing him of creating a “stampede-like situation” at a major religious gathering. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also commented on the controversy and criticised the Shankaracharya without naming him directly.