Swami Agnivesh is no more. A man who spearheaded a movement of sort in this Country to abolish bonded labour culture in the post Independent era has passed away yesterday at the age of 80 due to liver cirrhosis. He who few among those who renounced the orthodox Brahmanism and served for the humanity particularly for those labour class who never knew of their status in the Independent India -except of paying back their wages to the cruel employers as against the money borrowed by them in the past.

Swami Agnivesh, as he fondly called by those acquainted to him, born in a Brahmin Family at Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh, and he later shunned his brahminical thoughts and culture became an Aryasamajist and settled in Haryana. He became a Member of Legislative Assembly when Bhajan Lal Government was in power.

And at that time, he got acquainted with certain information regarding existence of bonded labourers in the Surajkund quarries. He with his acquaintances in the civil society and media barged into those quarries, which employed bonded labourers, and gathered information about them and approached the then Chief Minister Bhajan Lal to take action.

Instead action against the culprit employers, it backfired on Swami Agnivesh and he was literally threatened by none other than the CM. With the advice of a Senior Advocate, he later attempted to register a Police Complaint against the quarry owners. SHO, who attended to him, told him that he could not register a Complaint now, as it was night and asked him to come next day morning.

From the next day morning and following two years than, Swami Agnivesh and his well-wishers were targeted by the Government. His office was raided and he was termed as Naxalite, a murderer, and he was foisted with put-up cases despite the fact that he was a Legislator than.

Thereafter, Swami Agnivesh brought the atrocity committed by the quarry owners towards bonded labourers before the Supreme Court and incidentally the case was posted before Justice P. N. Bhagwati and he then passed number of orders until he became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

The Bonded Labourers issue that he spearheaded literally moved to other States like a wildfire and awareness amongst the sufferers gained ground. Today, if we need to salute a man who espoused the cause of bonded labourers and brought their sufferings before the eyes of the people in this Country and he who Swami Agnivesh.

Faqsonlaw most respectfully adore this man and pays rich tributes to this noble soul.