Swami Agnivesh assaulted on way to pay homage to Vajpayee at BJP office

New Delhi: Social activist Swami Agnivesh was reportedly thrashed on Friday near the BJP headquarters in Delhi when he was on his way to pay tributes to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

In a video that circulated on social media, the social activist is seen being chased and pushed by a group of people as he keeps walking and trying to get away. A man is seen putting his arms around Agnivesh to shield him. A woman is also seen raising her slipper at the 79-year-old.

According to reports, Delhi police rushed to the spot and took Swami Agnivesh in a van to safety.

"I was attacked while walking towards BJP headquarters to pay my respects to Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Around 20-30 BJP workers came and surrounded me and pushed me. My pagdi fell down and they started calling me a traitor," Agnivesh told reporters.

"They pushed me towards the Vishnu Digamber roundabout and kept abusing me. Some policemen were standing there but these persons, including some women, carrying slippers, kept abusing me," he added.

This is the second attack on Swami Agnivesh within a month.

On July 17, the 79-year-old was allegedly assaulted by the workers of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) in Jharkhand’s Pakur, where he was attending a programme concerning the Paharia tribe.

Also Read: BJP youth workers thrash activist Swami Agnivesh in Jharkhand

Speaking to reporters, Agnivesh had said, “It was a murderous attack but I survived. I still don’t know why they attacked me.”

He also raised questions on the role of local police and claimed that there was no security anywhere near the incident site even as protestors had gathered there.