Arun Pathak

Last updated

Arun Pathak
Arun Pathak Profile.jpg
Born (1975-06-16) 16 June 1975 (age 47)
Nationality Indian
Occupationpolitical activist
Organization Vishwa Hindu Sena
Website arunpathak.com

Arun Pathak (born 16 June 1975) is an Indian politician and social activist from Varanasi. He is involved in charity work and campaigns for protection of Hindu culture.[ citation needed ] He has attracted public attention for staging suicide attempts as a form of political protest.

Contents

Personal life

Pathak was born in Varanasi on 16 June 1975.

Activism

As of 2009, Pathak had been rescued from suicide attempts at least eleven times by his followers. [1]

Liquor stores

In 1997, Pathak started a campaign to ban liquor stores from being in close proximity to religious sites. He wanted this policy to be in place in Varanasi and Ayodhya. To get attention for this campaign, Pathak climbed to the top of a 300-foot tower in Varanasi and threatened to jump to death. After getting written assurance from the police that the shops would be closed, Pathak climbed down from the tower. [2]

Babri Masjid demolition celebration

In 1998, Pathak organised a celebration in Varanasi to commemorate the 1992 demolition of the Babri Masjid. He put up flags as decoration, but the local police had them taken down and destroyed. In response Pathak went to police station and took 50 valium pills in a suicide attempt. Three days later Pathak woke up and found that the in charge police officer Singh had not been fired, so Pathak took 50 more valium pills and threw himself in front of the car of the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.[ who? ] Pathak survived and a police officer who was responsible along with Singh was fired for misconduct in removing the flags. [2]

Film protests

Pathak led a Vishwa Hindu Sena group in Varanasi to oppose the screening of the film Girlfriend (2004), which dealt with subject matter about lesbians. [3]

Deepa Mehta filmed parts of the 2005 film Water on the ghats in Varanasi. The film was controversial to Pathak for having the line "... if a Brahmin or God sleeps with a woman she is blessed", which he interpreted to be oppressive to women's rights. To protest the filming, Pathak tied a large stone around his waist, took a boat to the center of the Ganges, and jumped into the river when the cameras were filming. His friends jumped into the river, rescued him, and rushed him to the hospital. [4] Pathak's actions were followed by some rioting. The Varanasi city government responded by ordering film production to stop. [5]

Pakistani Ghazal virtuoso Ghulam Ali was invited to perform at Sankat Mochan music festival in 2016 which Pathak did not like. He said that instead of offering the stage to a Pakistani singer, the organisers should invite Indian musicians. He also blamed the organiser for the controversy. [6] He also said that a beef eater like Ghulam Ali must not be allowed to enter in a Hindu temple. [7]

In 2017, Pathak announced that he with his follower will worship at the controversial temple Mata Shringar Gauri and when Police and the administration arrested him to stop him from doing so, as a protest he again tried to attempt suicide by cutting veins of his hand. He got critically injured and admitted to trauma center immediately. [8]

On 15 August 2018, Pathak and his followers were again arrested by the police as he tried to hoist the national flag on a controversial place Bindu Madhav temple also known as Madhav Rao Dharhara which is a National Monument. This is not the first time when Pathak stopped and got arrested for hoisting the Tricolour on every national festival he attempt to hoist the Tricolor and get arrested with national flag. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bal Thackeray</span> Indian politician

Bal Keshav Thackeray, was an Indian politician who founded the Shiv Sena, a right-wing pro-Marathi and Hindu nationalist party active mainly in the state of Maharashtra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shiv Sena</span> Political party in Maharashtra, India

Shiv Sena is a right-wing Marathi regionalist and Hindu nationalist political party in India founded in 1966 by Bal Thackeray. Shiv Sena's election symbol is the Bow and Arrow. It uses the saffron colour in its flag and a image of a roaring tiger.

Arun Gulab Gawli also known as Arun Gulab Ahir, is an Indian politician, underworld don and retired gangster. Gawli and his brother Kishor (Pappa) entered the Mumbai underworld in the 1970s, when they joined the "Byculla Company", a criminal gang led by Rama Naik and Babu Reshim, operating in the central Mumbai areas of Byculla, Parel and Saat Rasta. In 1988, after Rama Naik was killed in a police encounter, Gawli took over the gang and began operating it from his residence, Dagdi Chawl. Under his control, the gang controlled most criminal activities in the central Mumbai areas. Throughout the late eighties and nineties, Gawli's gang was involved in a power struggle with Dawood Ibrahim's D-Company gang. Gawli is also the founder of the Akhil Bharatiya Sena political party based in Maharashtra.

<i>Fire</i> (1996 film) 1996 Indian film

Fire is a 1996 Indo-Canadian erotic romantic drama film written and directed by Deepa Mehta, starring Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das. It is the first installment of Mehta's Elements trilogy; it is succeeded by Earth (1998) and Water (2005).

In the Bombay riots in December 1992 and January 1993, an estimated 900 people died. The riots were mainly due to escalations of hostilities after large scale protests by Muslims in reaction to the 1992 Babri Masjid Demolition by Hindu Karsevaks in Ayodhya; and by Hindu mobs in regards with the Ram Temple issue.

<i>Water</i> (2005 film) 2005 film by Deepa Mehta

Water is a 2005 drama film written and directed by Deepa Mehta, with screenplay by Anurag Kashyap. It is set in 1938 and explores the lives of widows at an ashram in Varanasi, India. The film is also the third and final installment of Mehta's Elements trilogy. It was preceded by Fire (1996) and Earth (1998). Author Bapsi Sidhwa wrote the 2006 novel based upon the film, Water: A Novel, published by Milkweed Press. Sidhwa's earlier novel, Cracking India was the basis for Earth, the second film in the trilogy.

In March 2006, the Indian city of Varanasi witnessed a series of bombings in which at least 28 people were reportedly killed and 101 injured. Varanasi is considered holy by Hindus and is one of the oldest living city in the world. In June 2022, after 16 years of hearing, Ghaziabad district and sessions court convicted the mastermind and terrorist Waliullah Khan and sentenced him to death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maharashtra Navnirman Sena</span> Political party in India

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena is a Regionalist far-right Indian political party based in the state of Maharashtra and operates on the ideology of "Hindutva" and "Marathi" Manus. It was founded on 9 March 2006 in Mumbai by Raj Thackeray after he left the Shiv Sena party due to differences with his cousin Uddhav Thackeray, who was the 19th Chief Minister Of Maharashtra and to his sidelining by the Shiv Sena in major decisions like distribution of election tickets.

<i>Mandi</i> (film) 1983 Indian film

Mandi is a 1983 Hindi-language film directed by Shyam Benegal. Based on a classic Urdu short story Aanandi by writer Ghulam Abbas, the film narrates the story of a brothel, situated in the heart of a city, an area that some politicians want for its prime locality. The film is a satirical comedy on politics and prostitution, and stars Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil and Naseeruddin Shah among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra</span> Racism Against North Indians,Biharis in Particular

The 2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra began on 3 February 2008 after violent clashes between workers of two political parties—Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Samajwadi Party (SP)—at Dadar in Mumbai, capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. The clashes took place when workers of MNS, a splinter faction formed out of the Shiv Sena, tried to attack workers of SP, the regional party based in Uttar Pradesh, who were proceeding to attend a rally organised by the United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA). Defending his party's stand, MNS chief Raj Thackeray explained that the attack was a reaction to the "provocative and unnecessary show of strength" and "uncontrolled political and cultural dadagiri (bullying) of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar migrants and their leaders".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lal Chowk</span> Place in Jammu and Kashmir, India

Lal Chowk is a city square in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India.

The Sri Ram Sena, or Sri Ram Sene, is a Hindutva-wing Hindu group founded & headed by Pramod Muthalik. It has received media attention for its acts of moral policing, including the 2009 Mangalore pub attack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pramod Muthalik</span>

Pramod Muthalik is the chief of the Rashtriya Hindu Sena, the parent organisation of the Sri Ram Sena.

Anti-Pakistan sentiment, also known as Pakistan-phobia, Pakophobia or Pakistanophobia, refers to hatred, fear, hostility or irrational fixation toward Pakistan, Pakistanis and Pakistani culture. The opposite is pro-Pakistan sentiment.

<i>Yateem</i> 1988 Indian film

Yateem is a 1988 Indian action romance drama film directed by J. P. Dutta. The movie stars Sunny Deol, Farha Naaz, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Danny Denzongpa and Amrish Puri.

<i>Jai Bhim Comrade</i> 2011 Indian documentary film

Jai Bhim Comrade is a 2011 Indian documentary film directed by Anand Patwardhan. The film begins with a description of police violence in the 1997 Ramabai killings. It goes on to explore various aspects of the lives and politics of Dalit people in Mumbai. The film took 14 years to produce, and was released in 2011 after the conclusion of the court trials that followed the Ramabai incident. The film was widely shown both nationally and internationally, and received an overwhelmingly positive reaction. It has won numerous national and international awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Kiss of Love protest</span> Non-violent protest against moral policing

Kiss of Love protest was a non-violent protest against moral policing which started in Kerala, India, and later spread to other parts of India.

<i>Masaan</i> 2015 film

Masaan is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language independent drama film and starring Richa Chadda and Vicky Kaushal in lead roles. It is Kaushal's debut Hindi film, and is also the directorial debut of Neeraj Ghaywan. It is an Indo-French co-production produced by Drishyam Films, Macassar Productions, Phantom Films, Sikhya Entertainment, Arte France Cinema and Pathé Productions.

Raju Risaldar, labelled the don of Vadodara by the media, was killed by police in an encounter in June 1993. Raju was accused of being involved in multiple cases of extortion, murder and contract killing. He was also a political activist of Shiv Sena and its chief of Vadodara district unit. Risalder rose to prominence following the August 1991 killing of a Congress Party leader.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Indian farmers' Republic Day protest</span> Part of Indian farmers Protest

The 2021 Farmers' Republic Day protest was a protest on 26 January 2021 at Delhi. Part of the 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest, it turned violent when a group of protestors deviated from the parade to storm the Red Fort. The protest took place on the 72nd Republic Day against the decision by Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to implement three farm acts.

References

  1. Rahul Bhatia (5 February 2000). "YAMA, INTERRUPTED". Tehelka. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
  2. 1 2 Rahul Bhatia (9 July 2006). "The invincible suicide attempter". Greenchannel blog. Retrieved 26 November 2010. Bhatia writes for OPEN and publishes additional details from his articles on his blog.
  3. "Police guard Indian lesbian film". BBC News . BBC. 15 June 2004. Retrieved 26 November 2010.
  4. Haima Deshpande (26 December 2009). "Retired from Active Suicide". OPEN . Open Media Network Pvt Ltd. Retrieved 26 November 2010.
  5. "'Water' shooting stopped again, Mehta 'asked to leave Varanasi'". The Hindu . The Hindu Group. 6 February 2000. Archived from the original on 6 September 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  6. "Shiv Sena opposes Ghulam Ali's performance in Kashi | Varanasi News - Times of India". The Times of India . 22 April 2016.
  7. "Details". Archived from the original on 7 May 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  8. "Kahsi vishwanath | shiv sena leader cut the vein of his hand after police stopped him from visiting shringar gauri | श्रृंगारगौरी के दर्शन से रोकने पर शिवसेना नेता ने काटी हाथ की नस - Navbharat Times Hindi Newspaper". Archived from the original on 27 August 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  9. "Nationalcoverage.co.in".