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At some point, the group was joined by a saffron-clad duo, Swami Agnivesh (born Shyam Vepa Rao and well-known for his campaign against bonded labour) and his Arya Samaji associate, Swami Indravesh. Agnivesh’s presence not only added credibility to the group, there was also the added advantage of being in the company of men in saffron clothes, which in 1984 was still associated with moral rectitude. At one place, Agnivesh even jumped onto a makeshift platform and beseeched the attackers to eschew violence and return home, but to little avail.
One day Alok Mukhopadhyay, then head of OXFAM and one of the founding members of NEM, noticed a Sikh gentleman who arrived every morning with his wife to hand over relief material. The two struck up a conversation and as the Sikh couple readied to take leave, Alok asked the man his name. ‘My name is Manmohan Singh. I work as the Governor of Reserve Bank of India,’ said he and walked away.
