By Siddhant Mohan & Aas Mohammad Kaif, TwoCircles.net
Chandrashekhar Azad ‘Ravan’, the founder of Bhim Army, has decided to fast until death inside the prison, his mother Kamlesh Devi informed TwoCircles.net.
Devi told us, “Shekhar (the call name of Chandrashekhar ‘Ravan’) is not happy with the massive amount of cases which are being lodged against Dalits.” According to Chandrashekhar’s mother, he was having water since last five days, but until Wednesday Chandrashekhar has stopped taking water as well.
Devi further said, “He asked permission for hunger strike from jail authorities, but the authorities denied. He is unhappy with the police atrocities over Dalits.”
Devi also said, “Shekhar has been put under tight vigilance after the Bharat Bandh on April 2″ – which was called by SC/ST community against the Supreme Court orders pertaining to the SC/ST Act – and authorities are not allowing him to meet anyone.”
The jail superintendent Viraj Sharma refuted the claims made by Kamlesh Devi and has informed TwoCircles.net that Chandrashekhar is eating well, but not with other prisoners. However, Sharma has conceded that Chandrashekhar is not being allowed to meet anyone but family.
Devi said, “First, I was not allowed to go inside the prison. The administration tried to stop me. But they let me in later, then I came to know that he was surviving on water only.”
Bharat Bandh on April 2 saw various violent episodes throughout the country, which left more than 9 people dead. But the protest marches and rallies in Saharanpur, the battleground of Bhim Army, was comparatively calm on the same day. Almost no violence was reported in the district. But administration went on to register cases against Dalits anyway.
Manjit Nautiyal, the spokesperson of Bhim Army, commented, “The government is clearly torturing Dalits. They are being implicated in false cases. The episode with Chandrashekhar is the same. We will fight back.”
Moreover, Ravan’s health has also been a major concern for many. He was admitted to the hospital in October last year with the issue of stomach infection, a condition which allegedly arose after mistreatment at the hands of the jail authorities.
