The dastardly assault on Swami Agnivesh has rightly been described as a direct attack on democracy and the freedom of expression – a frontal attack on the rule of law and on human dignity. It constitutes a flagrant violation of the inalienable and most fundamental of all rights guaranteed by the Indian Constitution – the right to life with human dignity and the right to personal liberty. Swami Agnivesh was in Pakur to attend a programme organized by the Pahadia tribal community, one of the most deprived and exploited in Jharkhand.

Anthony Dias, SJ

The author is the Director of ‘Xavier Institute of Social Research’ (XISR), Nashik, Maharashtra.