IPS officer, who Narendra Modi government appointed to head CBI, celebrates social activist’s death, Indian Police Foundation says ‘he has desecrated the police uniform’

Remember N Nageswara Rao, who was appointed as the interim head of India’s federal probe agency CBI in October 2018 by the Narendra Modi government? Rao, now a retired IPS officer, is facing widespread condemnation after he took to Twitter to communally-charged tweet to celebrate the death of noted social activist Swamy Agnivesh. The Indian Police Foundation has issued an extraordinary statement saying that Rao had ‘disgraced the police uniform.’

In his controversial tweet, Rao had written, “GOOD RIDDANCE @swamiagnivesh You were an Anti-Hindu donning saffron clothes. You did enormous damage to Hinduism. I am ashamed that you were born as a Telugu Brahmin. మేక వన్నె పులి गोमुख व्याग्रं Lion in sheep clothes My grievance against Yamaraj is why did he wait this long!”

His comments evoked large-scale condemnation from historians, activists and journalists with many terming them ‘disgraceful’ and disrespectful to the Hindu religion. However, Rao remained adamant stating that nowhere did Hinduism bar people from celebrating an individual’s death.

The most scathing criticism came from the Indian Police Foundation, which wrote, “Tweeting such hate messages by a retired officer posing as an IPS officer – he has desecrated the police uniform which he wore and embarrassed the government. He demoralises the entire police force in the country, especially the young officers.”

Last year, the Supreme Court had held Rao guilty of contempt of court. Rao was sentenced to imprisonment till the rising of the court. This meant that Rao had to sit in a corner of the court till the end of the day. He was also fined Rs 1 lakh. The top court had come down heavily on Rao for the blatant violation of the Supreme Court order while transferring a key CBI officer investigating brutalities in Muzaffarpur shelter home.

Well-known social activist Swami Agnivesh passed away at a Delhi hospital on Friday. He was 80.