Retired IIT professor, 77, campaigns for Gaza daily despite regular harassment. Watch

Screenshots from a recent confrontation that retired IIT professor VK Tripathi faced while distributing pamphlets on Gaza. (Image credit: @rakhitripathi/X)

Every morning in New Delhi, retired IIT Delhi physics professor VK Tripathi steps out with a bundle of leaflets, urging people to “rise above hate and war.” His solitary campaign for peace in Gaza has taken him from the capital’s Rajghat to Mumbai’s Dharavi—and often into confrontations with police and critics. Mumbai Mirror and The Telegraph reported that Tripathi, 77, insists he will not stop speaking out against injustice.

His daughter, Rakhi Tripathi, often shares on social media how his efforts are regularly met with misunderstanding and confrontation.

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. pic.twitter.com/TLw656RKlk

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— Rakhi Tripathi (@rakhitripathi) October 3, 2025

Mumbai episode ends with police intervention

At the end of September, Tripathi walked through Dharavi’s narrow lanes, handing out flyers and stopping strangers for conversations. “If even a handful accept, it gives me hope,” he said earlier in the day. But his effort ended abruptly when 22 police officers intercepted him at a T-junction, seized his pamphlets, and escorted him to Dharavi Police Station.

Senior inspector Raju Bidkar told Mumbai Mirror: “He was not detained. We only explained that he cannot hand out pamphlets on sensitive issues without permission. It might spark arguments or clashes. He was alone, and it was risky.”

“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” – Gandhi ji.
My 77-year-old father, Prof VK Tripathi has lived this truth. He walks alone with truth and humanity. And yet, those in power are shaken by it.
Papa has proved that truth and ahimsa are enough to fight for humanity. He… pic.twitter.com/hHHsWFKro2

— Rakhi Tripathi (@rakhitripathi) October 2, 2025

Tripathi called the action unjustified. “Neither my words nor the pamphlet singled out any religion or group. I hold both Hamas and Israel equally responsible for the violence. My concern is humanity,” he said.

A lifelong commitment to dialogue

Tripathi’s activism dates back to the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992, when he began distributing pamphlets to counter communal hate. In August, he staged a day-long fast at Rajghat for Gaza, only to be stopped by police. His daughter, Rakhi, wrote on X: “Heartbroken. My father fasted all day, handing out flyers. Around 6 pm many police came shouting with hatred. I can’t believe this is our police.”

She later added: “I hope more people understand what my father is trying to convey—the message of humanity. He is a rockstar. He is NOT scared of goons on the roads, why would a few social media clowns bother him?”

‘I will continue to do what I have to’

Tripathi says he has no regrets. “I am disappointed, not because I came all the way from Delhi and was stopped, but because a person is not allowed to express himself even when doing so mildly and peacefully,” he said. “Still, I have no qualms. I will continue.”

From 50,000 signatures, 20M+ reached online, to 5000 fliers on ground, my father, Prof. V.K. Tripathi’s Gandhian campaign calls on PM Modi to act against Gaza’s starvation. Phase-I is over. Phase-II begins: reaching more masses, to awaken humanity for Gaza’s innocents. @PMOIndia… pic.twitter.com/RBaUUL0nEz

— Rakhi Tripathi (@rakhitripathi) September 10, 2025

In 2023, The Telegraph reported that Tripathi wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to persuade Israel to treat the people of Gaza as their own. His message remains unchanged: “Silence in the face of violence is complicity.”