Not many followers of the deceased professor and environmentalist GD Agarwal, alias Swami Gyan Swaroop, visited the All India Institute of Medical Sciences at Rishikesh to pay their last respects to the crusader for the cause of Ganga river. Surprisingly, only 13 people visited the AIIMS over a period of 10 weeks to view the mortal remains of Swami Gyan Swaroop.
Following the Supreme Court’s direction, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences kept the body for public viewing for the tenth and the last time at their campus on Sunday.
The death of Professor GD Agarwal at AIIMS, Rishikesh, on October 11, after he undertook an indefinite fast, which went on for 111 days for the preservation and conservation of Ganga river, created a big controversy.
The Matri Sadan, where Swami Gyan Swaroop used to stay, demanded to hand over his body to the Ashram where they could pay their last respects to the environmentalist. After AIIMS rejected their demand the Matri Sadan approached the Uttarakhand High Court. The High Court ordered the AIIMS to hand over the body of Swami ji to Matri Sadan for 76 hours.
The All India Institute of Medical Sciences filed a special leave petition before the Supreme Court, challenging the High Court’s orders. Staying the High Court’s order, the Supreme Court allowed the followers of GD Agarwal to pay their respects to his embalmed body at AIIMS, Rishikesh, for 10 consecutive Sundays.
Professor Ravi Kant, director of AIIMS (Rishikesh), said, “Only 13 followers of Swami Gyan Swaroop visited AIIMS to pay their last respects to the seer. Two followers of Swami ji came today.” The Supreme Court had directed the AIIMS to keep the body for public viewing for 10 consecutive Sundays and allowed entry in batches, subject to a maximum of 50 people every week.