Social activist and Arya Samaj leader Swami Agnivesh dies at 80

Social activist and Arya Samaj leader Swami Agnivesh has died at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, Delhi. He was suffering from liver cirrhosis and was critically ill. Swami Agnivesh was in critical condition after suffering multi-organ failure during the treatment, the hospital had said on Thursday. The hospital added that he is being closely monitored.

The social activist was admitted to the ILBS on Tuesday and has been on ventilator since then. A multi-disciplinary team was



monitoring his condition. The 80-year-old Agnivesh, a former MLA from Haryana, founded a political party, Arya Sabha, that was based on the principles of the Arya Samaj in 1970. He was also an advocate for dialogue between religions.

He was involved in various areas of social activism including campaigns against female foeticide and the emancipation of women. He was a prominent associate of Anna Hazare during the India Against Corruption's campaign in 2011 to implement the Jan Lokpal Bill.