Well-known social activist and leader of Arya Samaj, Swami Agnivesh, who suffered from cirrhosis of the liver for a long time, died of multi-organ failure in a Delhi hospital, doctors said. He died just 10 days before his 81st birthday.
Agnivesh was seriously ill and admitted to an ICU at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, and had been on ventilatory support since Tuesday, doctors said.
“He suffered from cirrhosis of the liver and died today due to multi-organ failure as his condition deteriorated and he went into cardiac arrest at 6 pm,” said a spokesman for the hospital. Resuscitation was attempted, but he died at 6:30 p.m., he said.
Born Vepa Shyam Rao into a Telugu Brahmin family, Agnivesh graduated in law and for a time worked with Sabyasachi Mukherji, the future Chief Justice of India. He joined Arya Samaj in 1968 and took the sanyasi vows in 1970, renouncing his caste and surname.
Working in Haryana, a main center for Arya Samaj, he later joined active politics and became Minister of Education in 1979. In 1981, he formed the Front for the Liberation of Bonded Labor to fight against social evil. While Arya Samaj remains a revivalist Hindu organization that does not advocate secularism, Agnivesh remained a fierce secularist and supported interfaith dialogue.
A notable face of India’s diverse and vibrant civil society, Agnivesh had also served as Chairman of the World Council of Arya Samaj, Samaj’s main body.
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