Top leaders in jail, Bhim Army struggling to hold Jantar Mantar protest

Meerut: Following the arrest of its founder Chandrashekhar Azad, the Bhim Army, earlier this week, announced a demonstration at Jantar Mantar on June 18 where Azad’s mother would address the crowd and demand the release of her son. The outfit had also said she would appeal for "unity among Dalits to fight oppression". But while the first protest of May 21 at Jantar Mantar, according to reports, had about 50,000 people, this time the Bhim Army is facing an uphill struggle to garner such support again. Thirty-seven of its members, including most of the top leadership, are behind bars and facing several serious charges.

To add to its woes, members of the organisation allege they are being constantly chased and harassed by the Local Intelligence Unit (LIU) and police. Factionalism within the organisation is another factor causing headaches to the senior leadership.

Besides, there has also been some confusion over the date of the protest, with some members releasing their own posters with the date of the protest as June 17 instead of June 18. In fact, Vinay Ratan Singh, national president of the Bhim Army, had to issue an audio message to clarify that the outfit was organising a protest only on June 18 and no other date.

“The announcement for the June 17 protest was made by an opportunist who wanted to take advantage of the situation and Bhim Army’s popularity for his personal gains. The message circulated on WhatsApp spread like wildfire, causing a great deal of confusion,” said Sushil Gautam, a Meerut-based leader of the outfit.

In the absence of almost all its top leaders, the organisation is also struggling to reach out to people sympathetic to its cause and mobilise them for the June 18 Jantar Mantar protest. “Police have arrested 37 of our members and almost all of our top leaders. They are also harassing youths close to us in villages and towns. It is getting difficult for us to organise a crowd similar to our earlier protest. It is a well thought-out strategy of the administration and police. They want to finish us. They don’t want anyone to oppose the BJP. But we will be there. No matter how hard police makes it for us,” said Nitu Gautam, district president of Bhim Army in Shamli.

Nakul Sawhney, a filmmaker who has seen the organization evolve since 2015, believes that there might not be as many people as last time, but “the protest will be strong.” “Police are making life very difficult for the Bhim Army. Youths have been picked up and beaten. Several of their leaders are behind bars,” he said.

“There is no doubt that there has been a lot of effort by the government to discredit the movement. But they will not be successful as people are rising. Individual Dalits are rising and standing up for their rights. So the number will still be significant even on Sunday,” said Satish Prakash, a Dalit intellectual and political activist.