Lucknow: Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad announced that his outfit will launch a nationwide protest from December 6 to press for the release of its jailed leaders.
Addressing supporters in Muzaffarnagar on Wednesday, Azad said many Dalits and Bhim Army leaders were wrongly jailed for the violence during the Bharat Bandh which was called on April 2. Bhim Army leaders were booked under the National Security Act (NSA).
Azad alias Ravan met leaders including Upkar Bawra, the district chief of Bhim Army.
“On Tuesday, Chandrashekhar Azad met leaders, including district chief Upkar Bawara and Vikas Median, who is a member of Shaheed Udham Singh Sena,” Bhim Army national executive member Rajan Gautam said.
He added that protests would be staged across Muzaffarnagar on December 1, following which a nationwide agitation would be launched on December 6, demanding the withdrawal of cases against Dalits in Uttar Pradesh.
Bhim Army has claimed that their members were not involved in the violence that erupted during the April 2 bandh and maintained that certain "outsiders" had indulged in acts of violence for which police had booked Bhim Army members wrongly.
Chandrashekhar, who was jailed under the NSA over the same incident, was recently released by the orders of the state government citing an appeal from his mother.
On June 8 last year, Azad was arrested jointly by Saharanpur police and special task force of UP police from Dalhousie in Himachal Pradesh. The Allahabad HC had granted him bail on November 2 in four cases but the state government immediately slapped NSA on him extending his stay in jail.
Violence had ensued after various Dalit organizations had protested on April 2 against the changes made by the Supreme Court in the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
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