Former interim CBI chief and one-time Modi government favourite M. Nageswara Rao has described the death of social activist Swami Agnivesh as “good riddance” in a tweet.

On Friday night, just hours after Agnivesh’s death, Rao tweeted: “GOOD RIDDANCE @swamiagnivesh You were an Anti-Hindu donning saffron clothes. You did enormous damage to Hinduism. I am ashamed that you were born as a Telugu Brahmin. Lion in sheep clothes. My grievance against Yamaraj is why did he wait this long!”

Twitter removed the post on Saturday afternoon, by when the tweet had drawn condemnation from serving and retired IPS officers and several other social media users.

Rao, who retired as director-general of fire services in July this year and hails from Andhra Pradesh, said in a second tweet: “Correction: Read ‘Wolf’ for ‘Lion’ in the above tweet.”

In an article for this newspaper’s September 12 edition, the swami’s long-time associate Valson Thampu had quoted Agnivesh (whose name translates as “clothed in fire”), as saying: “I am not in saffron. I am clad in fire. I am Agni.”

The Indian Police Foundation, an independent think-tank that serves as a forum for serving and retired police officers, accused Rao of having “desecrated the police uniform”.

“Tweeting such hate messages by a retired officer posing as an IPS officer — he has desecrated the police uniform which he wore and embarrassed the government. He demoralises the entire police force in the country, especially the young officers,” a tweet from the organisation said.

Historian S. Irfan Habib tweeted, referring to Rao: “You are a disgrace. Can imagine what all you must have done as a police officer? Abusing the dead may be Hindutva but is certainly not Hinduism. Better late than never. Get yourself treated.”

The Modi government had chosen Rao, a 1986-batch IPS officer from the Odisha cadre, to head the CBI after the controversial midnight benching of then agency director Alok Verma and his No. 2, Rakesh Asthana, in October 2018. Rao stayed in the post till February 2019.

Days before his July retirement, Rao had tweeted about an alleged “Project Abrahamisation of Hindu Civilisation”, accusing past governments of distorting history, whitewashing “bloody Islamic invasions/rule”, and naming roads and public spaces in Delhi after “invaders”.

The tweet had triggered the charge that he was trying to please his political masters to gain a cushy post-retirement job.

On Saturday, human rights activist and former IAS officer Harsh Mander said he was sad to see a former police officer “flaunting such uncivility and communal bias” towards Swami Agnivesh after his passing.

“That he feels he can display his bigotry so brazenly reflects on those who lead the nation,” Mander tweeted.

Rakesh Balwal, a serving IPS officer, tweeted: “Is this account hacked or what?? No sane person can ever celebrate death, even if it’s of his worst adversary.”

“Insult to human life. Sad,” tweeted another IPS officer, R.K. Vij.

Rao remained defiant. “Why do we celebrate as festivals the days savages were dead? Bcoz they’re pests destroying society &their death is a cause for celebration. It was also to warn people not to patronise the bad,” he tweeted in response to the criticism.

Swami Agnivesh, a human rights campaigner, had been branded “anti-Hindu” by the Right wing and was assaulted in Jharkhand and Delhi a month apart about two years ago.

Referring to Rao, Siddharth Varadarajan, editor of The Wire news portal, said in a tweet: “This disgusting man was made CBI head by @narendramodi in October 2018 and again in Jan 2019 and Justice Arun Mishra refused to interfere with his illegal appointment.

“A casteist, communalist bigot, every case he ever looked (into) during his time at the CBI needs to be re-examined.”

Lawyer Navdeep Singh said Rao’s post “goes against the very tenets of religion and basic humanity”.

“To think that he was serving in the govt and dealing with public with such thoughts at the back of his mind just a few days ago...,” he tweeted.

“Looks like Nageswara Rao is still waiting for the elusive Rajya Sabha seat/governor post,” posted Rakesh Verma, a Twitter user.