Agarwal sacrificed for Ganga
The comic staging of sweeping the roads on the occasion of 150th commemoration of Gandhi Jayanthi. Modiji pretended to sweep the road himself and tried creating awareness among people.
But something very tragic happened that may have mocked the fasts that Gandhiji undertook as part of his nonviolence movement. G D Agarwal, who was on a fast to save Ganga, died on indefinite fast that he was on, since June 22. His death, in some way, is also an indication of the result that would be, even if Gandhi sat on a fast.
Gandhiji’s movement could succeed with the British since they respected him. He upheld the values of cleanliness and non-violence. But during Modi’s time, fasting has lost its value because the government does not care anymore.
Professor at Kanpur IIT G D Agarwal had dedicated his life for the cause of Ganga river. He changed into Swami Swaroopananda Saraswati after he finished his stint with IIT Kanpur and he had undertaken numerous fasts for the causes he believed in.
As a result of his fast, government had to drop many mega industrial projects it had planned on the banks of Ganga. In the recent times, he had sat on a fast for about 109 days seeking a law to allow uninterrupted flow of Ganga from Gangotri at Uttarakhand to Uttarkashi.
His fast was not politically conniving ones like the politicians do. He had dedication and commitment towards the cause he believed in. His fast did not make as much noise as the fake babas’ events around causes of rivers.
BJP has sought votes in the name of Ganga, stating it is one of the agendas of the party. Crores of money has been released for the cause. Minister Uma Bharti has been giving out many declarations regarding this. Environmentalists have said Ganga water is totally unfit for consumption. Govt should have taken the fast by Swami Swaroopananda with more seriousness since this was a pertinent issue. He had become a thorn in the flesh since he always drew the attention of govt towards something relating to Ganga. The govt probably wished for his end.
Finally, a major interruption to raising money in the name of Ganga has been removed.
By the way, Swami Swaroopananda is not the first one to lose life over Ganga. Swami Nigamananda had fasted to oppose mining around the Ganga water table. The government didn’t budge even when he fasted for 73 days. He was removed from the place forcibly and he died under mysterious conditions in the hospital.
Unfortunately, when Nigamananda staged a genuine fast, Baba Ramdev was staging a fake fast at Ram Leela grounds. Police entered the place and assaulted the fake protestors and Ramdev tried escaping from the place dressed like a woman, but was caught.
Media outlets praised Ramdev and never even turned their focus on Nigamanand’s fast. Nigamananda died in the same hospital where Ramdev feigned ignorance and got admitted.
Mostly as a reparation, Uttarakhand received torrential rainfalls and cities drowned in the deluge. Now Agarwal followed the same path as Nigamananda.
On one hand, human rights activists are arrested in the name of Urban Naxals. The government finds fault with their sympathy towards naxals. Then why do genuine people like Nigamananda and Agarwal die? Why did the government reject their genuine protest and fast? Their movement was very much aligned with government’s focus and plans. Why did the govt that spends thousands of crores on cleanliness drive advertisements and collect cess from people, not find Agarwal’s fight worthy of attention? Why could it not be complete?
The ingenuity of this government towards causes is lying in the open with Agarwal’s death. Modi government can never ignore this blood on its hand.
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Woman, 2 sons found dead in Delhi home; suicide suspected
New Delhi (PTI): Three members of a family were found dead inside their home in southeast Delhi's Kalkaji on Friday, with police suspecting it to be a case of suicide, officials said.
Police said the incident came to light around 2.47 pm when a police team reached the premises to execute a court order related to possession of the property. When repeated knocks went unanswered, the staff used a duplicate key to open the door.
Inside, officers found Anuradha Kapoor (52) and her sons, Ashish Kapoor (32) and Chaitanya Kapoor (27), hanging from the ceiling, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari said in a statement. All three were declared dead.
A handwritten note was recovered from the room, suggesting the family had been struggling with depression.
"The handwritten note indicates emotional distress faced by the family due to which the family may have taken the extreme step," the officer said.
The bodies have been shifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) mortuary for post-mortem and other legal formalities under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), police said.
Residents of the neighbourhood said they were shocked to learn about the deaths, adding that the family kept largely to themselves.
Pankaj Kashyap, a resident of Girinagar, said he learnt about the deaths while leaving for work. "I live and work here and was leaving for work when I saw many people standing outside and talking. That is how I got to know that three people had committed suicide. I also saw several police vehicles outside, but I do not know much beyond that," he said.
Baldev, another neighbour, said the family had been living in the newly constructed house for around two years. "We only knew that a mother and her two children lived there. They had moved into the newly built house around two years ago. We did not interact much with them. Today we heard that all three have committed suicide, and whatever we know is based on what people here are saying," he said.
Another neighbour, Ramesh Kumar, claimed the family had earlier attempted suicide.
"About fifteen to twenty days ago, the two sons in the family had attempted suicide and police and ambulances had come. That was when I first got to know who they were. I do not recognise them by face, but we saw the ambulances and police take the two sons that day. Today again we saw ambulances and police arriving, so everyone came out to see what had happened. I do not know how long they had been living here, but this is all we know," he said.
Police said they are examining the family's financial condition, social circumstances, and other factors that may have contributed to the incident. Further investigation is underway.
