Updated: September 12, 2020 5:04:03 pm
Swami Agnivesh (left), a leader of Arya Samaj passed away on Friday at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences in New Delhi.
Former acting head of CBI and retired IPS officer, M Nageswara Rao, has caused a hornet’s nest with his tweet in which he called the death of renowned social activist Swami Agnivesh a “good march”.
Calling Agnivesh “anti-Hindu”, Rao tweeted that the activist did “enormous damage to Hinduism.” Good Riddance Swami Agnivesh. You were an anti-Hindu wearing saffron clothes. You did enormous damage to Hinduism. I am ashamed that you were born a Telugu Brahmin. My complaint against Yamaraj is why did he wait so long? he said.
GOOD RIDDANCE @swamiagnivesh
You were an anti-Hindu wearing saffron clothes.
You did enormous damage to Hinduism.
I am ashamed that you were born a Telugu Brahmin.
??? ????? ????
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Lion in sheep’s clothingMy complaint against Yamaraj is why did he wait so long? https://t.co/5g7oKL62pO
– M. Nageswara Rao IPS (@MNageswarRaoIPS) September 11, 2020
Agnivesh, a veteran Arya Samaj leader who stood up for bonded laborers’ rights, passed away on Friday at the age of 81. In critical condition, Agnivesh had been admitted to the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) in New Delhi to receive treatment for “liver damage,” and died of multi-organ failure. Always dressed in saffron, Agnivesh rejected idol worship as An avid follower of Arya Samaj’s principles, it was his job to free bonded laborers that he would become known.
Rao’s tweet invited criticism from various quarters, with many saying it was wrong to “abuse the dead.” Noted historian S Irfan Habib, in a tweet, criticized Rao saying: “You are a disgrace. Can you imagine what he must have done as a police officer? Abusing the dead may be Hindutva, but it is certainly not Hinduism. Better late than never. Get them treated. “
You are a disgrace. Can you imagine what he must have done as a police officer? Abusing the dead may be Hindutva, but it is certainly not Hinduism. Better late than never. Get a treatment. https://t.co/Shh4zlmduc
– S lrfan Habib (@irfhabib) September 12, 2020
The Indian Police Foundation (IPF), a multi-disciplinary think tank based in Delhi, said Rao “desecrated” the police uniform and “embarrassed” the government. “By tweeting hate messages of this kind from a retired officer posing as an IPS officer, he has desecrated the police uniform he was wearing and shamed the government. It demoralizes the entire police force in the country, especially young officers ”. He tweeted IPF.
Human rights worker and writer Harsh Mander said: “It is very sad to read this tweet from a serving police officer, flaunting such discourtesy and community prejudice towards Swami Agnivesh, a man much taller and better than he will ever be. , right after his death. That he feels he can so blatantly show his bigotry is reflected in those who lead the nation. “
Congressional national spokesman Pawan Khera also disapproved of Rao’s tweet, saying that Swami Agnivesh “stood like a rock to prevent RSS from taking over and swallowing the AryaSamaj.”
“As a Hindu, I admire the space my Dharma gave even to the followers of Charvaka. Hinduism is too vast, deep and safe to even reject the stupid hatred seen in its official tweets, ”Khera said further criticizing Rao.
#SwamiAgnivesh stood like a rock to stop #RSS to appropriate and swallow the #AryaSamaj.
As a Hindu, I admire the space that my Dharma gave even to the followers of Charvaka. Hinduism is too vast, deep and safe to even reject the stupid hatred seen in its official tweets https://t.co/aWRYTSBStD– Pawan Khera (@Pawankhera) September 12, 2020
Rao was appointed interim director of CBI on October 23, 2018, following a turf war between then-director Alok Verma and his deputy Rakesh Asthana. Last year, he was removed as Additional Director of CBI and was appointed Director General of Fire, Civil Defense and Home Guard Services until his retirement on July 31, 2020.
The former IPS has had a controversial career with questions about his alleged proximity to the Hindutva ideology, and also about his wife’s alleged financial transactions with a Calcutta-based trading company, a charge he denied.
This is not the first time that Rao has made controversial comments. Earlier this year, Rao claimed that India’s history had been “distorted” with the “laundering” of “bloody Islamic invasions / rule” and named the previous Ministers of Education who “were in charge of the Indian mental space” for 20 “of 30 years (1947-77)”. He raised questions of ownership and rules of duty, as he was then an IPS officer on duty.
Previously, he had taken to Twitter in support of the ban on meat exports and claimed that Hindu-Sanskrit literature was a good source for film. He also described certain comedians as “anti-Hindus who hate themselves.”
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