A week after Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad was arrested by the Special Task Force, the Dalit outfit has planned another protest at Jantar Mantar on June 18 against the “wrongful arrest” of its founder.
Mr. Chandrashekhar’s mother Kamlesh Devi is expected to address the rally.
Vinay Ratan Singh, who is heading the Bhim Army in Mr. Azad’s absence, said the rally was a protest against the framing of innocent people for the riots in Shabbirpur village of Saharanpur last month.
Its previous rally at Jantar Mantar in May saw a huge turnout.
Satish Prakash, a Dalit activist campaigning for Sunday’s rally, told The Hindu: “It is being organised to tell the U.P. government that it cannot arrest someone for standing for the rights of Dalits and for protesting against their rights violations. What happened in Shabbirpur on May 5 and in subsequent days, was a one-sided action by the Adityanath government in favour of the Thakur community and against the Dalit victims of the caste violence.”
The Bhim Army is running a campaign on social media to spread the word about the rally. It has circulated a video of Mr. Chandrashekhar’s mother appealing to the people to join the rally. The outfit is circulating pamphlets and posters in Saharanpur. Activists and supporters are also mobilising people from across western Uttar Pradesh.