Suspended Alankar Agnihotri threatens stir in Delhi if Centre does not withdraw SC/ST Act

Varanasi (PTI): Former Bareilly city magistrate Alankar Agnihotri, suspended by the Uttar Pradesh government on charges of indiscipline, has warned of staging a protest in Delhi from February 7 if the Centre does not withdraw the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The 2019-batch Provincial Civil Services (PCS) officer, who made headlines after resigning as the Bareilly city magistrate, made the announcement after meeting Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati on Sunday at the Srividya Math located at Kedarghat here.

Agnihotri said several organisations of the upper-caste community would participate in the stir if the central government fails to withdraw the SC/ST Act by February 6.

Responding to questions on his meeting with Swami Avimukteshwaranand, who was allegedly prevented by the administration from taking a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam during Magh Mela in Prayagraj on January 18, Agnihotri termed it a "fortunate coincidence" and not part of any political strategy.

He said Swami Avimukteshwaranand -- the Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath in Uttarakhand -- had earlier invited him to Prayagraj, but he could not meet him due to lack of time.

"With his arrival in Kashi, I got the opportunity to meet him," he said.

During his interaction with the media, Agnihotri said there was widespread resentment among people over the new University Grants Commission (UGC) rules. "The core voter base is angry with the government," he said, describing the SC/ST Act, enacted in 1989, as the "blackest law" in the country.

Agnihotri alleged that 85 per cent of the population was affected by the Act and claimed that 95 per cent of cases registered under it were false, adding that upper-caste organisations across the country were backing his stand.

The Uttar Pradesh government on January 26 suspended Agnihotri, then posted as Bareilly Nagar Magistrate, on charges of indiscipline.

Earlier the same day, he had resigned from his post, expressing displeasure over government policies, particularly the new UGC regulations and issues related to Swami Avimukteshwaranand, triggering a major administrative and political controversy.