THOUSANDS CONVERGE AT JANTAR MANTAR, RAISE SLOGANS
Protestors give clarion call to Dalits to rise against upper caste domination
NEW DELHI: A sea of humanity, decked in blue, gathered at Jantar Mantar on Sunday to protest against the caste-based atrocities in Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh.
The protestors, from various Dalit rights organisations and Left wing associations, gave a clarion call to the Dalit community to rise up against alleged upper caste domination and break the “shackles of Brahminism”.
The protestors were initially denied permission to gather at Jantar Mantar. However, many of them defied the ban and started to gather in thousands. Taking stock of the burgeoning crowd, the police finally allowed the protestors to enter the protest site.
By 11 am, the crowd had swelled up to tens of thousands of protestors, who were all mobilised through social media platform – such as the ‘I Love Bhim Army’ Facebook page and various Whatsapp groups.
With shouts of “Jai Bheem” reverberating across the protest site, many protestors vented their ire at the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP Government in Uttar Pradesh for not taking action against the accused in the Saharanpur mob violence.
“When a trader and his customer were shot dead inside a shop in Meerut, the police took prompt action. But a month is about to pass and not one word has been spoken by our politicians condemning the violence. The silence speaks a lot for itself. This is selective treatment by the state,” said Kamal, a protestor from Bhim Sena.
Many of the protestors had claimed that since 2014, the atrocities against Dalits have shot up. They alleged that this has been done to keep the country simmering with such issues instead of focusing on real issues of water, food and electricity.
The protestors claimed that those who pick up the real issues have been branded as enemies of the state. Speaking on the issue, the chief of Bhim Sena, Chandreshekhar said: “When I picked up the issue of caste-based atrocities I was branded as a Naxalite. Is fighting for our right to self determination akin to terrorism?”
The major demands made by the Bhim Sena, which spearheaded the protest, include a fair probe into the Saharanpur caste violence, immediate arrest of all those involved in torching Dalit homes and the release of Dalit activists who had false cases registered against them.
Many protestors alleged that the Dalit community has been living under fear since 2014 due to a change in the government.
They substantiated their claim by pointing out various incidents of Dalit violence like Una incident, Rohith Vemula and Saharanpur.
“Every action has an equal reaction. The saffron brigade has used violence as they want to keep us in our place. They cannot stomach a Dalit authority giving them orders. If this does not stop, then this country will see a civil war. We want a united India,” said Ashwini Sukrat, a social activist at the protest.