Bheem army on radar of investigating agencies

Bheem army that came on police radar after giving out a call for Dalit mahapanchayat in Saharanpur last week, could be in trouble. According to the initial probe, it is an unregistered organisation, running its activities illegally.

Subhash Chandra Dubey, senior superintendent of police, Saharanpur, said that Bheem army’s founder Chandrashekhar had submitted documents to get the organisation registered, however, officials concerned had turned down the application. “At present, no such organisation is registered. The founder has been running it illegally. He even asked people to deposit money in some personal accounts for membership, which is unlawful,” the SSP said.

Police officials say the organisation has approximately 1,200 members - most of them youths who use social media as a tool to spread their word among Dalits.

SSP Dubey describe it as an ‘organised gang’. “Chandrashekhar and other office bearers are accused of hatching a conspiracy. Letters are being sent to banks to freeze the organisation’s bank accounts. The economic offence wing will also be asked to investigate its income source and the legality of the transactions,” he said. To recall, Bheem army had attempted to mobilise Dalits of western UP and the neighbouring Haryana against the ‘atrocities of Thakurs’ and police inaction. The decision to convene the mahapanchayat was taken after Thakurs torched Dalit households in Shabbirpur village to avenge the death of a youth from their community. However, the mahapanchayat was thwarted through prompt police intervention. This had triggered widespread violence in the district, with rioters torching over 20 vehicles and a police post.

The police had held Bheem army responsible for the violence and accused its founder and other office bearers of using social media to try and convene a mahapanchayat for which no permission was sought.