INDIA: ALL INDIA SECULAR FORUM STRONGLY CONDEMN THE ATTACK ON SWAMI AGNIVESH
All India Secular Forum strongly condemn the attack on Swami Agnivesh, a 80 years old Highly respected social activist and Right Livelihood Awardee considered alternative Nobel Prize.
It is alleged that BJP Yuva Morcha attacked Swami Agnivesh, tore his clothes, punched him and used abusive language. Swami in a statement to NDTV said that there were 100-150 people who assaulted him while shouting slogans of Jai Shree Ram and using abusive language.
This assault signifies a new low in the series of such attacks which the country has seen in the recent past. Swami Agnivesh is a renowned social activist and has worked on the issues of gender rights, particularly against practice of sati; temple entry for dalits and for liberation of bonded labour. By attacking him, the Hindutva cadre has demonstrated that anybody who doesn’t follow their ideology would be attacked especially activists and political opponents. The earlier assaults under cow vigilantism and Whatsapp rumours have killed and injured common citizens. Attack on Swami Agnivesh signifies intolerance of highest order and without specific reason. The attack on Swami Agnivesh is only because he opposes the ideology of BJP and Hindutva. The attack signifies that all political opponents of BJP’s ideology may suffer the same fate. The decision of this attack must have been taken at the highest level as Swami Agnivesh is a distinguished personality and well known at internationally.
It should be noted that the assault happened on the same day when supreme court was quoted against the recent trend of mob lynchings and said ‘it is the state’s duty to ensure order and prevent mobocracy’.
We demand that all those involved in the attack should be immediately booked and given strictest of punishment prescribed by law.
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