New Delhi: Activist Swami Agnivesh, who was a close associate of Anna and a key member in Team Anna, courted controversy with a video posted on 'YouTube' where he was purportedly telling a person named 'Kapil' that government should act tough with fasting Anna Hazare.
Later, Agnivesh, who appeared to be criticising the anti-corruption campaign faced the ire of the core Anna team. People started believing that the video was not doctored because the footage was very much clear and clearly audible. Tehelka has reported that it was not the job done by any secret camera but by some TV news cameramen.
Let's have a look how some TV reporters filmed the video:
A couple of days before the release of the video, Agnivesh had stopped going to Ramlila Maidan and even criticised the Team Anna putting question against Hazare's decision to continue his fast despite the request made by the PM and the Parliament to end it.
As soon as the reports of the 'rift' between Agnivesh and other members of Team Anna surfaced, the media started gathering outside Agnivesh's residence to know his reactions and reasons behind the differences with the Team Anna.
According to a report in Tehelka, two reporters of some news channels had gone to talk to Agnivesh and the cameramen were capturing the reporters and the swami when they were busy in conversation on Anna's fast at Ramlila Maidan.
After few minutes, one of Agnivesh’s aide, who can also be seen on camera, told the swami that 'Kapilji' is one the phone and wants to talk to him.
Tehelka quoted a reporter present there saying that the aide told Agnivesh, “Swamiji, Kapilji ka phone hai” (Swamiji, you have a call from Kapilji).
Agnivesh took the phone and the reporters stepped back to let him talk on the phone. The reporters stepped back but the cameramen continued to record Swami Agnivesh's movements when he was busy talking with 'Kapil'. Both the cameramen didn't stop the camera and recorded the entire conversation.
The report in Tehelka, however, says both the reportes decided not to run the video but they found after some time that the video was being run on a TV channel and was available on You Tube and some websites. According to the reportes, someone from office had given it to the website and someone uploaded the video on YouTube.
And the 75-sec video made Swami Agnivesh the most hated person for the members and the supporters of Team Anna.
Later, Team Anna member Kiran Bedi alleged that Agnivesh of being absolutely unethical. The core Anna Team and Agnivesh had developed differences during the course of Hazare's fast.
Bedi said that the footage has "shocked us all and we are very uncomfortable" with it.
Agnivesh on his part dismissed the video footage as doctored and concocted and was part of a campaign to malign him. He denied he was talking to Union Minister Kapil Sibal.
Agnivesh said, "These were lies and it is a cut and paste job. There are several people in my personal circle whose first name is Kapil. I never address political leaders as 'Maharaj'. Kapil Maharaj could be anybody" he said without disclosing the identity of the person whom he was seen talking to on the video footage.