Chandrashekhar Azad ‘Ravan,’ the president and Founder of the Dalit organisation Bhim Army,
has been charged and arrested on 21st August 2019, and is in 14 days custody .
On Wednesday, thousands of Dalits protested at Ramlila Maidan against the demolition of Ravidas temple
on August 10 following the SC order. The peaceful protest was assaulted with brutal force by police while
Proceeding towards demolished the temple and back to their homes.
Chandrashekhar Azad and 95 other Dalits including Sikhs were arrested and mercilessly beaten after taking them to different police station in Delhi with most of them including Chandrashekhar receiving multiple injuries.
Next day in an unprecedented manner a court hearing was held in a police station instead of a court house where all the detainees were sent to Prison without even a proper hearing or medical check up by the Judge.
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Far from being an anomaly, such absolute acts of shutting down ‘untouchables’ and followers of Dr Ambedkar, Guru Ravidaas, Balmiki Ji and other Dalit icons Is increasingly becoming a norm apart from the regular incidents of mob lynching and mob violence. Chandrashekhar himself has been receiving death threats including from the so called upper caste organizations like Karni Sena and authorities instead of taking legal action has on various pretexts detained him for long durations.
When did Chandrashekhar the lawyer become an activist?
Five years ago, Chandrashekhar was just another lawyer in Dehradun. There was a school
in Chutmalpur, where Dalits sent their kids to study. The local
Rajputs kicked up a storm about their children studying alongside dalit childrens. They would not allow
the children to go to school and considered them ‘untouchables’. They told the kids to continue
doing the work their parents did. The kids, who looked up to Chandrashekhar, came running to
him and told them about what was happening. When things did not improve, Chandrashekhar launched an
agitation and ensured that the kids got their rights. After this incident, there was an awakening
inside him. Soon after, he formed the Bhim Army.
But Chandrashekhar went ahead and added ‘Ravan’ to his name. Why identify with the villain in
the Ramayana?