Thousands of Dalits in large numbers flocked to the Jantar Mantar in Delhi. Led by Bhim Army, an organization fighting for the community’s rights, the Dalit community protested against the severe oppression faced by them in Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh.
The Bhim Army Ekta Mission was led by 30-year-old lawyer Chandrashekhar to fight against “oppression” by upper castes.
A battery of smaller organizations such as Dalit Sangarsh Morcha, Yuva Shakti Dal and youths from different parts of Western UP and Delhi showed up at the protest.
Dalits and Thakurs recently locked horns in Saharanpur during the birth anniversary celebrations of Maharana Pratap. A Thakur community mob ransacked and burned down 25 houses belonging to Dalits.
“We have come here to fight oppression. If you kill one Chandrashekhar, thousands more will rise. The RSS and Hindu right organizations have been oppressing us for centuries, but we are not weak,” Chandrashekhar said.
The leader also ensured full help to the protesters. He said that he is ready to surrender to the police. Chandrashekhar announced phone numbers which could be dialed for rescue from any problem faced by the protesters.
Sonu Paliwal, 28, a resident of Shimlana village in Saharanpur, said, “We are here because there had been repeated incidents of violence against Dalits. The administration in Saharanpur allows the Rajputs to hold a march on Maharana Pratap Jayanti but Dalits are not allowed to celebrate Ambdekar Jayanti.”
The protesters demanded that oppressors of Dalit community on May 5 be punished and penalized. Also, the crowd demanded a compensation of Rs 10 lakh from the affected.
Ravi Prakash, the convener of Dalit Sangharsh Morcha, said, “The Yogi Adityanath government in UP cares more about cows than Dalits. We are not against cow protection but it is human beings whose lives should be protected first. Our brothers in villages of UP live under fear but we will not tolerate it anymore.”
“We want to show to the government that we can unite and we can fight for our rights,” he added.
