Bhim Army Stages Protest in Delhi Condemning Anti-Dalit Policies

Video Producer: Shadab Moizee

Video Editor: Vishal Kumar

The Dalit outfit Bhim Army staged a massive protest on Delhi’s Parliament Street on 19 August to voice their dissent against the arrest of Dalit activists across the country, founder Chandrashekar Azad’s imprisonment and to expose BJP’s anti-Dalit policies.

For over a month, the outfit has been talking to people in rural areas of Saharanpur and Muzaffarnagar to mobilise support for the rally.

Dalit children are being jailed, a leader is deliberately not being allowed to come out despite high court’s bail order, an SC boy is lynched in Meerut, but no action is being taken against those burning the Constitution.

Manjeet Nautyal, Bhim Army’s national spokesperson to TOI

“All these developments show a dangerous trend. And we as a social organisation, we are left with no choice but to raise our voice against this recurring harassment of the marginalised lot,” he said.

A couple of days back, during a protest against amendments in SC/ST at Parliament Street, a few men burned a copy of the Constitution. The accused, Deepak Gaur, who heads Youth Equality Foundation (Azad Sena) and Arakshan Virodhi Party, and Abhishek Shukla, founder of Arakshan Virodhi Party, were arrested and booked under stringent sections of the Prevention of Insults of National Honour Act and the Indian Penal Code.

The organisation is also demanding that the cases against those jailed in relation with the April 2 Bharat Bandh violence be withdrawn.

Bhim leader Balak Ram said that they are tired of being harassed by the UP Police.

Half of our Bhim Pathshalas, tuition centers we run for underprivileged children from the community, have been shut over the last four months since our teachers are being threatened with arrest related to the April 2 bandh. We will give a copy of the Constitution to our Bhim Sainiks as a token of gratitude because we believe in this country.

Bhim leader Balak Ram to News 18

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will not be a part of the rally as the organisation wants to keep politics out of this.

Bhim Army National President Vinay Ratan Singh said that this rally was necessary as there is a civil war-like situation emerging from the government's failure to check issues related to Dalits and caste discrimination, reported NDTV.