Professor VK Tripathi harassed again while distributing Palestine solidarity pamphlets
Professor Vipin Kumar Tripathi, a retired IIT Delhi plasma physicist and social activist known for promoting communal harmony through pamphlet distribution, was intimidated by a group of people while handing out leaflets carrying messages of non-violence and solidarity with Gaza — a repeat of similar harassment he has faced in the past months.
As per a video shared by his daughter, he is seen engaged in a heated discussion with several individuals who appear to be challenging his views.
When they remarked, “You are worrying about Gaza’s condition, look at your own,” Professor Tripathi can be heard responding, “They (Palestinians) are our own.”
One person from the mob said, “We don’t want to live together with these people.”
When Professor Tripathi asked who they meant, they reportedly replied that they were referring to people from Pakistan and Gaza.
“See how these hateful people cornered my father, Prof Tripathi. All he said was that Gaza needs compassion, yet they mocked him for it. Papa faces this almost daily, yet he is dedicated to humanity. Boils my blood,” his daughter, Rakhi Tripathi, wrote on X.
On September 27, Maharashtra police in Dharavi stopped Professor Tripathi while he was distributing pamphlets promoting non-violence and solidarity with Gaza; a group of 22 officers seized his leaflets, told him that prior permission was required, and later took him to the Dharavi police station.
Tripathi, known for his persistent efforts to counter communal hate through dialogue and pamphlet distribution, has held fasts at Rajghat and is frequently seen engaging the public in various cities, appealing for communal harmony and emphasizing that remaining silent in the face of violence amounts to complicity.
As the genocide in Gaza continues, Prof. Tripathi decided that it was important to do more.
Earlier, speaking to Maktoob’s Nikita Jain, Professor V.K. Tripathi reflected on what motivated him to raise his voice.
“It all began in 1982,” Prof. Tripathi recalled. “When I was working in the U.S., Israel invaded Lebanon, killing more than 30,000 Palestinians, and yet the world supported Israel. I felt disgusted. That was the moment I decided to raise my voice and fight for this cause.”
Soon after, he returned to India with a position at IIT, but his advocacy continued. “The masses do not have weapons or the power to fight those weapons, but they have an inner strength to resist oppression. I came back with the idea that I would build the power of non-violence,” he said.
“When Hamas attacked on October 7, I initially thought this was just retaliation and that it would stop, because historically we have seen that Israel usually kills more people than they lose, and then things go quiet,” Prof. Tripathi explained.
He added that even at that time, he distributed pamphlets to raise awareness. “But when the retaliation began, it was shocking — only civilians were targeted, and their homes were destroyed. The Palestinians in Gaza have no government or support; it is Israel that has rendered them stateless,” he said.
