Arun Pathak

Arun Pathak is primarily a social crusader and a political figure of India. He was born on June 16, 1975 in Varanasi. He is the chief general secretary of the Shiv Sena party and has also been involved in lot of charity work in the city. He is well-known in the metropolis for staging several protests for social causes.

He claims to kill himself if the local government doesn’t fulfill his demands. Using this strategy, he has been successful in forcing the authorities to disallow the owners of the liquor shops to open their stores in the proximity of the temples. In 1992, after the right-wing people demolished the Babri Masjid, he celebrated the event by hoisting flags.

It turned into a controversy as police took action and destroyed those flags. He tried to consume sleeping pills and kill himself. He only stopped when the concerned authority suspended the guilty law enforcement officers. He had also held a protest against the screening of a movie named Girlfriend, in the year 2004.

The movie revolved around the sensitive topic of lesbians. He thought that the film contained a dialogue that was bold and insulting to the womenfolk. He tied stone around his waist with the help of a rope and jumped into a river. Ultimately, the government relented and gave in to his demands and stopped the film's release. Another movie that he has spoken against is Water.

In 2016, the organizers of the Sankat Mochan music festival invited Ghulam Ali, a renowned ghazal singer from Pakistan. Arun did not like their decision and spoke about it on public platforms. He said that Indians should employ people of their nationality rather than people from other countries since they consume beef, an animal that Hindu workshop.

Such foreigners shouldn't be allowed in a sacred place like temples. He also founded Sri Yajna Sodh Sansthan Trust, an institution that organizes various sacrificial offerings and performs varied rituals. They call diverse people from different communities to encourage harmony amongst them.

The establishment also donates necessary things to the needy and provide scholarships to the penurious but worthy students. Almost, whenever Arun has put his life in danger, his staunch followers have rescued him.

Currently, Arun is busy directing a movie which is a biopic on his life. He will play himself in it. Its name is Soshan - The Torture. He plans to depict all the phases of his life starting from his poverty-stricken childhood and how people exploit children from financially weaker sections to how he grew up and fought against the odds to become an activist and a political figure. He will also be elaborating the reasons why he opposed the release of Girlfriend and Water.