Controversial figure and politician Swami Agnivesh featured in an unfortunate incident caught on camera. The incident according to Agnivesh took place on the day when he went to pay homage to the former PM Atal Ji. Agnivesh was attacked by people as soon as he got out of the car to visit the BJP headquarters in New Delhi. The video which has since become viral shows people physically attacking Agnivesh,while he is trying to run away to escape the wrath of the angry lot. This is not the first time when Agnivesh has been attacked by common people, last month too he was attacked in Jharkhand where he had gone to attend a meeting.
There is no way in which an attack on a private unarmed citizen can be defended and likewise the attack should be condemned. However, there is no doubting the fact that Agnivesh is a controversial figure in himself, his anti-Hindu and anti-India rants have made him a villain in the eyes of the public. He was one of the few people from the country to oppose the resettlement plans of Kashmiri Pandits in the valley, he was allegedly opposed to the rehabilitation plan which would have provided separate settlements in order to provide security to the settlers.
The Arya Samaj scholar had also been expelled from the Arya Samaj organisation for his disobedience and other matters of confrontation in 2008. The first instance when he openly challenged the Hindu belief systems happened when he spoke against the Amarnath pilgrimage, for which the Supreme Court rebuked him openly. He also drew a lot of flak for siding with Jamiat Ulema e-Hind in their bid to stop Muslim citizens from singing Vande Mataram. He has also tried on numerous occasions to give rousing comments and to infuriate people around the country. The comments he makes not just hurts the people but also hurt the religion as they are made by someone who wears the saffron robe. Expulsion from the Arya Samaj which happened in 2008 and many condemnations from the Supreme Court were not enough to shut Agnivesh up.
The reception he gets across the country is proof of how he has successfully managed to turn the people against him. His pseudo-secular behavior is the reason why he is so detested in the country today. But even then using violence against him cannot be justified more so because it was committed at a time of mourning. While it is surprising that Agnivesh had chosen to come to the BJP Headquarters to offer his condolences, the fact that he was not allowed to pay homage is a shame. The assaulters should be given a strict warning and should be asked to apologize for assaulting a human. The BJP should themselves take suo moto cognizance of this event and show that they know how to deal with dissent using words.