Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad seeks judicial probe into attack; four held

Dalit activist says he has been demanding security cover amid threats for the past two years but his application has been rejected repeatedly by the government

File photo of Bhim Army Chief Chandrashekhar Azad. | Photo Credit: PTI

Days after narrowly escaping an assassination attempt, Chandrashekhar Azad, Dalit activist and chief of the Bhim Army, on July 1 said that there could be a larger conspiracy by forces wary of his rising popularity in the marginalised sections of society. “Their could be a larger conspiracy orchestrated by casteist forces to eliminate me, with the shooters only acting as foot soldiers. I demand a judicial enquiry over the incident as the State administration failed to protect me and a bigger plot by powerful forces to kill me can’t be ruled out,” he told The Hindu.

“Since the last two years, I have been demanding security [cover] but the application has been rejected twice. Three months ago, I again requested security. My application for a license to carry a firearm was also rejected citing pending cases [against him]. It clearly signifies negligence by the administration when they are aware that feudal and casteist elements hate me as I continuously fight for oppressed Bahujan groups,” Mr. Azad said.

Mr. Azad was shot at by a group of assailants on June 28 in the Deoband area of Saharanpur district when he was returning from attending a terahvi (13th day funerary ritual) at a supporter’s home. The attack elicited widespread condemnation, with Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav describing the incident as a sign of “jungle raj” and alleging the attack was carried by “criminals protected by those in power”.

Mr. Azad founded the Azad Samaj Party (ASP) in 2020 to mobilise Dalit communities and other oppressed sections of society under its banner. Previously, he formed the Bhim Army, which works as a pressure group against alleged caste discrimination and caste-based violence faced by Dalits in western Uttar Pradesh.

Speaking with The Hindu, the Dalit activist also said a nefarious attempt had been made to incite caste riots in the region. “The vehicle used in the attack was parked in Miragpur village in Saharanpur, which has a sizeable population of the Gurjar community. It clearly hints that the perpetrators and conspirators aimed at instigating riots, and are thinking that if I am killed, Dalits would clash with the Gurjar community,” Mr. Azad said.

The ASP failed to find electoral success in the 2022 Assembly polls in U.P. but enjoys the support of a section of the Dalit population that’s disillusioned by the waning electoral graph of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), the Dalit-centric party headed by Mayawati, who became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh four times.

In U.P., the principal Opposition SP-Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) alliance has hinted at accommodating Mr. Azad in the alliance. The ASP leader campaigned for SP-RLD candidates in the recent Rampur and Khatauli Assembly bypolls.