An Indian holy man and social activist has died after a four-month fast to highlight corruption and rising pollution in the Ganges river, doctors said on Wednesday. Swami Nigamananda, who began his action on February 19, died on Monday in hospital in the northern hilltown of Dehradun where he had been treated since early May for complications arising from his fast. India has witnessed a spate of fasting protests in recent months, mostly focused on corruption and a series of fraud scandals surrounding the government. The day before Nigamananda died, a popular television yoga guru, Baba Ramdev, called off a fast aimed at highlighting the issue of “black money” — cash from bribes or other illegal transactions that is stored in overseas accounts.
