The Freethought Party of India strongly condemned a threat to eminent atheist leader and Odisha Rationalist Society secretary Debendra Sutar by a Hindu radical.
Notably, Sutar edits Odia journal ‘Baingyanik Charcha’ and has earned the ire of the Hindu radicals because of his outspoken views expressed in TV channels against self-styled godmem and godwomen in the country. He dared to brand Sarathi Baba of Barimul ashram in Kendrapada as a fraud. He has also filed a PIl in the High Court of Odisha praying legitimate action against the illegal amassment of huge wealth, sexual exploitation of women devotees and illegal occupation of huge acres of Government land by the Babas/Matas.
One Suresh Panda, calling himself as the president of Go Surksha Mancha of Odisha, has allegedly threatened to kill Sutar for his anti-Baba activities. He warned Sutar that unless he refrains from such activities, he would meet the fate of Dr Narendra Dabholkar who was gunned down on August 20, 2013 because of his rationalist works.
The Freethought Party has appealed to Panda to have tolerance for rationalist activities.