Twitter takes down tweet by former CBI chief Nageswara Rao celebrating Agnivesh’s death
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Twitter on Saturday deleted a tweet by M Nageswara Rao, the former director of the Central Bureau of Investigation, celebrating the death of social reformer Agnivesh, The News Minute reported.
“You were an anti-Hindu donning saffron clothes,” Rao had tweeted. “You did enormous damage to Hinduism. I am ashamed that you were born as a Telugu Brahmin.” Rao called Agnivesh a “lion in sheep’s clothing”. “My grievance against Yamaraj [the god of death] is why did he wait this long!” Rao said.
Agnivesh died at a hospital in Delhi on Friday due to liver disease. He was 80 years old.
The Indian Police Foundation, a think-tank working on police reform, condemned Rao’s remarks. “Tweeting such hate messages by a retired officer posing as an IPS officer – he has desecrated the police uniform which he wore and embarrassed the government,” the foundation tweeted. “He demoralises the entire police force in the country, especially the young officers.”
Tweeting such hate messages by a retired officer posing as an IPS officer - he has desecrated the police uniform which he wore and embarrassed the government. He demoralises the entire police force in the country, especially the young officers. https://t.co/qOiI8D6dkO
— Indian Police Foundation (@IPF_ORG) September 12, 2020
Twitter took down Rao’s tweet following backlash against the officer on the social media website. However, the former CBI chief refused to back down, comparing Agnivesh to “savages” and a “pest destroying society”.
Why do we celebrate as festivals the days savages were dead? Bcoz they're pests destroying society &their death is a cause for celebration.
— M. Nageswara Rao IPS (@MNageswarRaoIPS) September 11, 2020
It was also to warn people not to patronise the bad.
Hinduism eschews अपात्र दानं & misplaced sympathy as they destroy giver & sympathiser. https://t.co/0r7cyyjkiP
He also attempted to take refuge in claiming that his freedom of expression and right to dissent had been violated, and quoted Voltaire:
Bedrock of democracy is FoE which Voltaire aptly said:
— M. Nageswara Rao IPS (@MNageswarRaoIPS) September 13, 2020
“I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”
But of late, it is honoured more in breach due to increasing intolerance of dissent, which is the real danger to democracy anywhere.
Agnivesh, a former MLA from Haryana, founded a political party, Arya Sabha, which followed the principles of the Arya Samaj. He was known for his efforts against bonded labour through his foundation Bandhua Mukti Morcha (Bonded Labor Liberation Front).
Agnivesh was elected to the Haryana Assembly in 1977 and was made the education minister in 1979. However, he quit from his post in protest against the state government’s inaction against police personnel who had opened fire at workers demonstrating against bonded labour.
He had also spoken out against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January 2019 for his remarks against the Kerala government over Sabarimala temple row. The activist had described Modi’s comments as out of tune with the constitutional position he holds.
In July 2018, Agnivesh was beaten up allegedly by workers of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad in Jharkhand. In 2011, religious leader Nityanand Das assaulted Agnivesh at a public meeting over his comments on the Amarnath Yatra. The activist had described the annual pilgrimage as “pakhand”, or hypocrisy, a statement for which he was later criticised by the Supreme Court.
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Vijayanagara: One dead, 12 injured as trucks hits their vehicle from behind on NH 50
Vijayanagara: One man was killed and 12 others were injured after a truck hit vehicle they were traveling in on the National Highway 50 stretch on the outskirts of Koodligi in the district.
The accident victim, Madhu (27), is learned to have been an employee of Reliance Digital from Andhra Pradesh.
The vehicle was reportedly traveling from Bengaluru to Koodligi and the passengers are learned to have been seriously injured following the collision with the truck, which was found to have a Maharashtra registration.
Koodligi Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) Mallesh Dodmani and Circle Inspector Prahlad Channagiri arrived at the accident spot on being informed of the accident.
The police officers and locals rescued the injured passengers and got them shifted to the Koodligi Government Hospital. Some of the passengers were reportedly taken to the Ballari Trauma Care Centre for further treatment.
A case has been registered at the Koodligi Police Station and the officers are investigating the incident.
