77-year-old retired IIT Delhi professor V.K. Tripathi, who staged a day-long fast at Rajghat to draw attention to the suffering in Gaza, was stopped by police and allegedly met with hostility recently, his daughter Rakhi Tripathi said on social media.
Tripathi, a retired physics professor, armed with pamphlets in hand, reached out to passersby, and urged them to think about the ongoing suffering in Gaza, when he was accosted by the police.
“Heartbroken. My father, Prof VK Tripathi fasted all day at Rajghat for Gaza, handing out flyers. Around 6 pm many police came shouting and speaking with hatred, as if we were there to cause trouble. I can’t believe this is our police. So much hate and prejudice,” wrote his daughter on X.
Tripathi is no stranger to solitary demonstrations.
Since the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992, he has walked the streets distributing pamphlets to stir public conscience. His aim, he often says, is to remind people of the Gandhian path of non-violence and compassion.
The Telegraph reported in 2023 that Tripathi had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, appealing to him to persuade the Israeli leadership to treat the people of Gaza as their own.
“I wish to request you to put efforts, as an Indian nation caring for human suffering and oppression, to deescalate the Israel-Gaza conflict. I share the pain of Israeli citizens who fell victim to Hamas attack. I also feel sad for the Palestinian citizens who fell victim to retaliatory attack by Israel. Every man and woman on the Earth has the right to live with freedom, without fear, and have opportunities for dignified living. War, violence and retaliatory violence take away this right of innocent victims, hence are bad. Siege of a region or nation by another state also does the same to an entire population, hence, is bad,” he wrote to Modi.
Before this year’s Independence Day, Tripathi made a public appeal to citizens: “From the land of Gandhi, this Independence Day, let’s make our freedom meaningful by standing in non-violent protest against the mass starvation in Gaza. Sign the petition, raise your voice for humanity, and let the world know there are Indians across the globe who feel the pain of Gaza’s innocents.”
On August 10, his daughter had posted: “Papa, Prof VK Tripathi, left home at 10 am with fliers on Gaza. He’ll spend the day on the streets, wearing these posters. He is deeply hurt by the mass starvation in Gaza. He will fast on Aug 15th. Please sign the petition and let the world know that there are Indians across the globe who share Gaza’s pain in a peaceful, non-violent way, by fasting.”
On August 8, she also quoted her father after a day of distributing flyers: “Hindustan abhi Zinda hai. My father, Prof VK Tripathi has been going from street to street, handing out fliers on the mass starvation in Gaza. He is heartened to see that in most hearts there is sorrow, proof that they are human. This gives us hope.”
Tripathi’s activism has not been confined to Delhi.
Earlier this year, he built a “Satya Stambh” (pillar of truth) in Tauru, Haryana. The monument, he explained, was meant to be a place where people of all castes and faiths could gather to strengthen unity.
“In a time when religion and caste fuel so much division, this pillar will remind us of the secularism enshrined in our constitution,” he said.
Tripathi’s quiet persistence is familiar. During the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and in the years after the Babri Masjid demolition, he continued his one-man efforts, distributing pamphlets, speaking to whoever would listen, and framing his activism as an educational mission.
His daughter’s posts suggest the latest episode at Rajghat left him shaken, but not defeated.
Even after being stopped, he continues to call for non-violent solidarity with the people of Gaza, echoing the Gandhian ethos he has carried for decades.