By Siddhant Mohan & Aas Mohammad Kaif, TwoCircles.net
Bhim Army is trying to ensure that the fight for justice and equality continues even as its founder Chandrashekhar Azad ‘Ravan’ continues to remain in prison under the National Security Act. Azad’s condition has aggravated, following which he was admitted to the hospital following a stomach infection on October 27, last month.
Now, women of Saharanpur district have decided to organise a sit-in protest -many of them on a hunger strike – in Shabbirpur, Naya Gaon and Ramnagar villages of Saharanpur district. The main demand of the Dharna which has crossed more than 96 hours is the release of Azad and the other members of the Bhim Army.
Several small incidents, along with the women’s protest, are giving a sense that Bhim Army, which seems to have faced a setback in the past few months after the arrest of Chandrashekhar, is coming out of its dormancy and making its way towards re-establishing the movement. Saharanpur has seen more than a dozen small and large Dalit protests in past one week, and all these protests have made the release of Chandrashekhar as the centre of their demands.
Hundreds of protesting women have accused the administration of conspiring the murder of Azad. 48-year-old Babita, who is also the mother of army’s spokesperson Kamal Waliya, said, “They have taken Chandrashekhar and my son to Meerut hospital.hey are trying to kill him under captivity.”
Babita explained the movement’s importance, “Dalits are very much divided at this moment. There is very little solidarity among us. It is high time we should understand the importance of our rights, and we should fight together to ensure survival.”
Bhim Army has lost political support in recent times. Shortly after Shabbirpur violence, various political parties extended their support to the Bhim Army. Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, who was denied entry into the Saharanpur and Shabbirpur village, showed solidarity with the Dalits of the region. Imran Masud, state vice-president of Indian National Congress, also extended support in the initial days, but this faded shortly after the arrest of Chandrashekhar Azad.
What haunts the Shabbirpur residents, even more, is that the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) did not support the movement, and believe that if it had, many things would have been different. Babita said, “Support from any Dalit and Bahujan group is welcomed. If we would have gathered enough support, it would have changed things.”
“I know Yogi and Modi are against us, but what about the BSP? Why it did not come forward,” Babita asked.
Soon after Saharanpur violence, BSP chief Mayawati visited Saharanpur but refused to extend any support to the Bhim Army or its actions. Mayawati even called the organisation running on the principles of Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh and BJP.
Ravindra Molhu, ex-MLA from Rampur Maniharan and BSP leader, was once accused of providing financial aid to the Bhim Army, but as soon the “rumour” gathered pace, Molhu apparently turned his back towards the Army. He said, “BSP is a constitutional organisation which believes in the policy of Sarvjan Hitay. We are not a violent setup as the Bhim Army, so no association between us could be expected.”
Even after refusing to support the movement, Mayawati resigned from her Rajya Sabha membership after discussion on the Saharanpur violence could not be tabled in the parliament. BSP – which is famous for not easily talking with the media about the party decisions – has been trying to distance itself from the Bhim Army, while simultaneously trying to get close to Dalits of the region, according to a party leader who spoke with TwoCircles.net on the condition of anonymity. He said, “The (Bhim) Army has influenced the Dalits of the region, but that is the only problem for the party. We believe in the movement, but we can’t join hands with Bhim Army. There has to be some democratic and political solution to the problems.”
BSP’s Saharanpur president Janeshwar said, “BSP believes in the constitution. We understand that Dalits are facing atrocities, but there are ‘other ways’ to address those problems.’
Chandrashekhar’s neighbour Krishna Pal believes the administration miscalculated the effect of arresting the Bhim Army leader. He said, “Few people thought that Bhim Army would end after crushing Ravan, but things are upside down here. Seeing Chandrashekhar in such a critical position, protest is likely to take a bigger shape.”
People have started accusing Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of the state, of openly backing the Thakurs and Jats of the Saharanpur region, thus by making their living difficult. There have been many reports citing the derogatory campaign by Sher Singh Rana, in which later is threatening Dalits openly.
“Is this the governance? Chandrashekhar is facing charges under the National Security Act (NSA) and Sher Singh Rana – a Thakur and the lone convict in bandit-turned-politician Phoolan Devi’s murder who is currently out on bail – roams openly while threatening us? Why is Yogi favouring the Thakurs of Saharanpur?” asked Prakash Jatav of Saharanpur.
On Saturday, students from Jawaharlal Nehru University along with JNUSU vice president Simone Zoya Khan, Shashi Tripathi, Rama Naga, Shahzad Ahmad and Mahurima Kundu met Chandrashekhar in Meerut hospital. Moreover, several other students from the university joined women’s protest at Shabbirpur and Ramnagar villages.
However, even after the promises made to Chandrashekhar reaffirming commitment to the struggle even from the hospital bed, there are many who believe that movement will end if something happens to Bhim Army founder. Rajan Ahirwar, a 42-year-old resident from Saharanpur said, “The movement can make its way to people if Chandrashekhar is alive. If administration succeeds in killing him – which is what Saharanpur Dalit fraternity accusing the administration of – it will be a lot easier for them to crush the movement.”
In Ramnagar village, Babita, Kirti, Phoolmati and Vimla have sat on hunger strike, while in Shabbirpur village, Shivkumar Jatav’s daughter Savita has sat on hunger strike. Shivkumar Jatav is one of those names who is implicated under NSA with Chandrashekhar