The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Meet face behind Dalit anger and violence in Saharanpur: a 30-year-old local lawyer
SIX YEARS ago, when he was with his ailing father at a hospital in Saharanpur, he heard about various incidents of “Dalits being oppressed in society”. That was when he decided to scrap his plan to pursue higher studies in the US and stay back to work for his community.
Four years later, Chandrashekhar formed the ‘Bheem Army Bharat Ekta Mission’. Today, the 30-year-old lawyer is the face of the Dalit protests in Saharanpur with his Bheem Army claiming to have 40,000 members in seven states, including Uttar Pradesh.
On Wednesday, a day after fresh violence broke out in the area following last Friday’s clash between Dalits and Thakurs in Shabbirpur village, Chandrashekhar was busy meeting members of his community at his home in Chhutmalpur nearby.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Chandrashekhar said, “Political parties need the votes of all communities but no one really cares for our community. Our people are oppressed every day and they have no voice. They can’t go to police because they don’t listen to us. Take, for example, the incident in Una (the assault on Dalits by gaurakshaks in Gujarat last year) or (Hyderabad student) Rohith Vemula’s suicide. This has been going on for long. We are an apolitical organisation, which focuses only on the uplift of our people.”
According to Chandrashekhar, the Bheem Army is a “platform where we give direction to our young blood and make them aware”.
“I believe that in today’s time, if we just help our community live with self pride, the whole issue gets sorted. Whenever there are any incidents of violence or harassment against Dalits, we will stand up for it,” he said.
Asked about Tuesday’s violence, in which suspected members of Bheem Army set a bus on fire at Bheta Road and burnt 10 motorcycles and a private car on Malhipur Road, both in Saharanpur, Chandrashekhar said he “condemns” these incidents.