RANCHI: Social Activist Swami Agnivesh was shown black flags and manhandled, allegedly by BJP Yuva Morcha and Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad workers, in Pakur district of Jharkhand on Tuesday for making “anti-Hindu remarks” and “provoking” the tribal community a few days back.
Chief Minister Raghubar Das has ordered state Chief Secretary Sudhir Tripathy to get the matter investigated by the Commissioner and DIG of Santhal Pargana and submit a report as soon as possible.
Agnivesh alleged that the BJYM and ABVP workers who abused and assaulted him were several dozen in number.
“They tore my clothes and snatched away my glasses and mobile phone,” he alleged. The saffron workers also tried to hit his head with a stone, but his supporters prevented them from doing so, he added.
State BJP, however, denied that the attackers were BJP workers and sought to put the blame on the social activist for the attack. “We condemn the incident. But looking at his track record, such things don’t come as a surprise,” said BJP spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo.
Pakur has recently been in news for religious conversions.Police said that an FIR had been registered and some of the people had also been taken into custody for interrogation. “FIR has been lodged in which eight persons have been named as accused and a hunt has been started to arrest them,” said ADG (Operations) and Jharkhand Police spokesperson R K Mallick.
The district administration claimed that no formal information related to the visit of Swami Agnivesh was received.Swami Agnivesh was attacked while on his way to attend the foundation day of Damin festival organised by local tribals after holding a Press conference at Hotel Muskan in Pakur.After the incident, Swami returned to the hotel and demanded a high-level inquiry.
War of words