Activist GD Agarwal, who was on fast to save Ganga, dies in Rishikesh

Uttarakhand: Activist GD Agarwal died on Thursday after suffering a heart attack in AIIMS Rishikesh in Uttarakhand. Agarwal was on an indefinite fast in Haridwar since June 22 in a bid to urge the government to clean river Ganga.

The environmentalist, also known as Swami Gyan Swaroop Sanand, fasted for 109 days to save the Ganga. He was forcibly picked up by the Uttarakhand police and hospitalised on Wednesday.

Agarwal had served as a professor at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur. He had also worked as a Member-Secretary of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Lawyer and activist Prashant Bhushan took to Twitter and said, "GD Agarwal, our leading environmentalist who fasted 109 days to save the Ganga, was forcibly picked up by the Uttarakhand police and hospitalized yesterday. He passed away today after his pleas to save the Ganga fell on Modi's deaf years. RIP Dear Sir. This world is not for pure souls."