Bhim Army
Chandra Shekhar Aazad | |
Founded at | Uttar Pradesh |
---|---|
National President | Vinay Ratan Singh |
The Bhim Army, alternatively Bheem Army
Mission
Bhim Army's stated mission is "
History
Azad gained attention after publicly posting a sign which read "The Great Chamar of Dhadkauli Welcome You."[10][11] Upper-caste Thakurs were upset with the Dalit celebration of identity and objected to the erection of the board.[13] But, the Bhim Army intervened and ensure that the Thakurs did not unleash any violence.[13] In another incident, the Thakurs prevented a Dalit groom from riding a horse to his wedding.[13] Yet again, the Bhim Army intervened and escorted the groom.[13]
The Bhim Army attained national prominence after clashes in Uttar Pradesh.[14] In June 2017, the group's leader Chandrashekhar, a lawyer,[2][6] was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force.[15] Chandrashekhar was granted bail by the Allahabad High Court in November 2017, but the Uttar Pradesh government led by Yogi Adityanath continued to detain him under the National Security Act until it dropped the NSA order in September 2018 and acquitted Chandrashekhar from jail.[16] Chandrashekhar describes himself as a representative of Bahujan identity and a follower of Kanshi Ram.[8]
The group protests against discrimination and caste violence against Dalit by members of the upper Thakurs caste in violent clashes in 2017 in Saharanpur.[4] A Bhim Army rally in Jantar Mantar, New Delhi in 2017 was attended by a large crowd,[17] estimated to be 10,000 by Delhi Police.[2]
In August 2019, the Bhim Army took part in nationwide Dalit protests against the demolition of
In December 2019, Chandrashekhar announced that the Bhim Army would formally enter electoral politics. The group previously operated as a quasi-political force.[7] Chandrashekhar stated that "We tried to join hands and work unitedly with the Bahujan Samaj Party but its leader was unwilling to do so."[7] Chandrashekhar said the new political party would set up an office in Lucknow and work to counter the ruling BJP.[7] Chandrashekhar has described the BJP as his chief political adversary, but has also competed with Mayawati, the leader of the Bahujan Samaj Party.[8]
The Bhim Army opposes the BJP's
On 15 March 2020, Chandrashekhar officially announced his new political party named Azad Samaj Party. As many as 98 former leaders of the Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Indian National Congress and Rashtriya Lok Dal joined the newly launched party.[23]
References
- ^ S Raju, Army seeks security for chief Chandrashekhar Azad, Hindustan Times (23 September 2018).
- ^ a b c d "What is the Bhim Army?". The Indian Express. 10 May 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
- ^ Trivedi, Divya (2 February 2018). "Fighting spirit". Frontline. The Hindu Group. Archived from the original on 16 January 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ a b Amit Ahuja, Mobilizing the Marginalized: Ethnic Parties without Ethnic Movements (Oxford University Press, 2019), p. 206.
- ^ Ali, Mohammad (28 June 2017). "Bhim Army, soldiers on a literacy mission". The Hindu.
- ^ a b Mujibur Rehman, "Introduction" in Rise of Saffron Power: Reflections on Indian Politics (ed. Mujibur Rehman), p. 33, note 33.
- ^ a b c d e f Bhim Army to formally join politics, Indo-Asian News Service (12 December 2019).
- ^ a b c d e Pratul Sharma, Chandrashekhar Azad is building a dalit-Muslim coalition to take on BJP, The Week (22 February 2020).
- ^ Chandrashekhar Azad dares RSS chief to contest elections, Press Trust of India, 23 February 2020.
- ^ a b Rashid, Omar (10 June 2017). "The lowdown on the Bhim Army". The Hindu. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
- ^ a b c Daniyal, Shoaib. "Ambedkarite 2.0: Saharanpur's Bhim Army signals the rise of a new, aggressive Dalit politics". Scroll.in. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- ^ Quint, The. "Ambedkar's Army". TheQuint. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- ^ a b c d Daniyal, Shoaib. "Ambedkarite 2.0: Saharanpur's Bhim Army signals the rise of a new, aggressive Dalit politics". Scroll.in. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
- DNA India. 29 June 2017.
- ^ "Bhim army chief arrested: Family threatens govt, Congress calls him 'victim'". The Indian Express. 9 June 2017.
- ^ Omar Rashid, Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad released from jail, says he will ensure BJP's rout in 2019, The Hindu (14 September 2018).
- ^ "The Curse of Caste?". We the People. NDTV. 28 May 2017.
- ^ Rawat, Mukesh (22 August 2019). "Explained: Why are Dalits agitated over demolition of Ravidas temple in Delhi". India Today. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
- ^ Bhim Army warns of movement if its top leaders are not freed, Indo-Asian News Service (25 August 2019).
- ^ Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad vows to fight until CAA is repealed, Deccan Herald (2 February 2020).
- ^ Anti-CAA protests: Court asks police to verify if Bhim Army Chief has an office in Delhi, Press Trust of India (18 January 2020).
- ^ Neeraj Chauhan, Delhi riots: Face-off between Bhim Army, CAA backers a trigger, Hindustan Times (28 February 2020).
- ^ Bhim Army President announces new political party 'Azad Samaj Party', Zee News (15 March 2020).