Arun Pathak | |
---|---|
Born | 1975 |
Nationality (legal) | Indian |
Occupation | activist |
Known for | protest with staged suicide |
Arun Pathak is an activist in Varanasi, India. He is best known for staging suicide attempts as a form of political protest.
Personal life
Pathak was born in Varanasi. He went to Sanatan Dharam Inter College in Varanasi to complete his high school but couldn't because of poor family condition. Later he went to Ballia to study Sanskrit because Sanskrit studies were cheaper in Ballia and wanted to complete his Acharya but again could not complete his education because of his poor family condition. He quit school and joined the Shiv Sena at age 14.[1] At present he is coordinator of Bahujan Samaj Party from Cantt state assembly seat in Varanasi.
Pathak is married with Manisha and has a daughter named Rakshita and a son named Srinivas.
Activism
As of 2009 Pathak had been rescued from suicide at least five times by his followers.[2]
Suicide to protest liquor stores near holy sites
In 1997 Pathak started a campaign to ban the allowance of liquor stores to be within a certain close distance to holy sites. He wanted this policy to be in place in Varanasi as it is in another holy city, Ayodhya. To get attention for this campaign Pathak climbed to the top of a 300 foot tower in Varanasi and threatened to jump to his death. After getting written assurance from the police that the shops would be closed, Pathak climbed down from the tower.[1]
Suicide to allow Babri Masjid demolition celebration
In 1998 Pathak organized a celebration in Varanasi to commemorate the1992 demolition of the Babri Masjid. He put up flags as decoration, but the local police chief PK Singh had them taken down and destroyed. In response Pathak went to Singh's office and took 50 valium pills in a suicide attempt to get Singh fired from his job. Three days later Pathak woke up and found that 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. Pathak survived and a police officer who was responsible along with Singh was fired for misconduct in removing the flags.[1]
Movie protests
Organizing a demonstration against Girlfriend
Pathak led a Shiv Sena group in Varanasi to oppose the screening of the movie Girlfriend in that city and elsewhere. The movie was novel in that it was a Bollywood film which contained subject matter about lesbianism. During the protests Pathak said "We'll not allow such a film to be screened... What one does in the bedroom and bathroom should not be displayed publicly,"[3]
Suicide to prevent filming of Water
Deepa Mehta filmed parts of Water (2005 film) 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] He arrived in critical condition. Pathak's actions were followed by some rioting. The Varanasi city government responded by ordering film production to stop.[5]
References
- ^ a b c 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.
- ^ Rahul Bhatia (February 5, 2000). "YAMA, INTERRUPTED". Tehelka. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
- ^ "Police guard Indian lesbian film". BBC News. BBC. 15 June 2004. Retrieved 26 November 2010.
- ^ Haima Deshpande (26 December 2009). "Retired from Active Suicide". OPEN (Indian magazine). Open Media Network Pvt Ltd. Retrieved 26 November 2010.
- ^ "'Water' shooting stopped again, Mehta 'asked to leave Varanasi'". The Hindu. The Hindu Group. Retrieved 26 November 2010.