‘WILL START NATION-WIDE PROTEST AGAINST DALIT ATROCITIES
MUZAFFARNAGAR Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar said on Saturday that he would start a countrywide agitation against “atrocities” on Dalits and demanded the withdrawal of cases registered against community members during the April 2 ‘Bharat Bandh’ agitation.
He was addressing Bhim Army activists who staged a ‘dharna’ in front of the Muzaffarnagar collectorate.
“Our agitation (against atrocities on Dalits) has already begun from Muzaffarnagar,” he said.
The Dalit icon alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led state government was taking action against innocents and had foisted false cases against members of the community.
To recall, some Dalit groups had called the bandh in protest against a Supreme Court judgement in March that ruled out immediate arrests in cases under the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Twelve people were killed in the violence during the bandh.
Chandrashekhar demanded the withdrawal of the cases registered during the Dalit agitation and demanded compensation for the families of those killed in police firing.
Addressing his supporters, he said that the Constitution was the basis of a united India.
“In it special provisions have been made for the protection of weaker sections of society. The Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act is an important part of the Constitution. On April 2, when some Dalit activists were peacefully demanding the restoration of this Act, some of them were booked by the police in various cases. Some were even charged under the National Security Act,” said Chandrashekhar, demanding Rs one crore compensation for the kin of those who lost their lives in the violence.
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