Social activist Swami Agnivesh, who was attacked in Jharkhand's Pakur town by a mob which he said belonged to BJP-affiliated youth groups, failed to get an audience with Governor Draupadi Murmu today and returned to Delhi.
"My appointment with the Governor was cancelled without any reason," the 79-year-old activist told reporters here as he hinted that the Pakur episode might be the reason behind it.
The prominent activist known for his work against bonded labour, was slapped, kicked around and verbally abused in Pakur town yesterday. He alleged that BJP-affiliated youth groups who accused him of speaking against Hindus were behind the attack.
Raj Bhawan sources, however, said the Pakur incident and the subsequent assertions by the activist against the state government were not behind the cancellation of Agnivesh's appointment.
"An appointment with the Governor was sought yesterday afternoon over telephone which was accepted, but seeing pressing prior engagements of the Governor, it was cancelled last afternoon itself and conveyed to them," sources in the Raj Bhawan said on conditions of anonymity.
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Although the beleaguered spiritual leader could not meet the Governor, he said former Union minister and Congress leader Subodh Kant Sahay, Jharkhand Vikas Morcha chief Babulal Marandi and Pakur MLA Alamgir Alam (Congress) met him in Ranchi and expressed shock over the incident.
Agnivesh was assaulted as he came out after addressing a press conference, where he attacked the BJP government in the state for "displacing the tribals by acquiring their land and giving it to corporate".
He was in Pakur, about 350 km from the state capital Ranchi, to attend an event of tribal body Akhil Bharatiya Adim Janjatiya Vikas Samiti.
"As soon as I came out of the venue, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activists attacked me without any provocation. They alleged that I was speaking against Hindus," Agnivesh had said.
Police said an FIR was lodged in connection with the assault under various sections of IPC, including 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly) and 307 (attempt to murder), and the Schedule Caste/Schedule Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
The FIR has been registered against 100 persons, out of which eight are named, police said.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by
Sub-Divisional Police Officer, Pakur, Ashok Kumar Singh has been formed to investigate as well as conduct raids to apprehend the culprits, sources said.
Superintendent of Police, Shailendra Prasad Burnwal said no arrests have been made in the case yet.
Some people were detained in this regard, but were released later as their involvement in the incident was not established during interrogation, he said.
The spiritual leader, however, expressed reservations about the probe into the incident.
"The fact that some people were detained in connection with the incident and later released shows that it is nothing but a 'natak' (drama)...the attack on me was pre-planned," he maintained.
The Arya Samaj scholar expressed dissatisfaction over the state government instituting a probe by DIG, and instead demanded an inquiry by a sitting judge of the Jharkhand High Court into the incident.
Meanwhile, a video of the alleged attack with a large crowd thrashing the social activist and his supporters is doing the rounds of social media and TV channels.
After beating Agnivesh, the alleged attackers raised the slogan, "If one wants to live in India, one has to chant Vande Mataram".
Agnivesh lamented that the violent mob attack happened despite the Supreme Court taking strong note on incidents of lynching and asked the Parliament to consider enacting a new law to sternly deal with mob lynching and cow vigilantism.
Samrul Haq, who attended to Agnivesh in Sadar Hospital, Pakur, said the activist had no fracture, but complained of pain.
The spiritual leader was given medicine for fast recovery, he said.
The attack on the activist also found resonance in the Jharkhand Assembly.
The Opposition parties today staged noisy protest over the assault on Swami Agnivesh, forcing adjournment of the House till lunch break. Leader of the opposition Hemant Soren, Congress MLAs and other opposition MLAs continued the pandemonium.
Soren demanded immediate arrest of the culprits.
In view of the prevailing pandemonium, Speaker Dinesh Oraon first adjourned the House till 12:45 pm and later suspended the proceedings till 2 pm.
Meanwhile, state Urban Development Minister C P Singh, while talking to reporters outside the assembly, branded the social activist a "fraud" and "foreign agent".
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