In the fourth week of his fast unto death, the 70-year-old founder and head of the famous Matri Sadan ashram in Haridwar has now decided to reduce his daily water intake from 5 to 4 glasses. Earlier Ganga activist Swami Gyan Swarup Sanand, a former Indian Institute of Technology professor, had staged 112 days of fast unto death and died on October 11, 2018. Shivanand is the latest seer from Matri Sadan ashram to agitate for the cause of the Ganga. Last year Sadhvi Padmavati from the ashram had launched a fast unto death for the same causes before authorities took her away and force fed her. In October 2018, Sant Gopal Das had also started fast unto death agitation at Matri Sadan ashram, within hours of the demise of Gyan Swarup Sanand.

Source: Hindustan Times August 30, 2020 11:30 UTC