NEW DELHI, June 28: The Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Aazad’s convoy was shot at in Deoband in Saharanpur district in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday. Aazad sustaining a minor bullet injury to his waist and has been admitted to Deoband Hospital.
Two bullets were fired at Azad’s car. The first bullet entered the seat of the vehicle, grazing his waist as it passed through the door. The second bullet hit the back door, narrowly missing him.
“The convoy of Chandrashekhar Aazad was fired at by a few car-borne armed men. A bullet brushed past him. He is alright and has been taken to CHC for medical treatment. Police is investigating the matter,” senior police officer Vipin Tada said.
The Bhim Army chief was travelling in a Toyota Fortuner when he was attacked. Photos of an injured Azad and his damaged vehicle were shared by the Bhim Army on social media.
Aazad told the media persons, “I don’t remember well but my people identified them. Their car went towards Saharanpur. We took a U-Turn. Five of us, including my younger brother, were in the car when the incident occurred.”
Apart from heading the Bhim Army, Aazad is also the chief of Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshiram), a political party he founded in 2020. Since 2017, when he first rose to prominence, Aazad has been vocally raising Dalits issues along with speaking out for secularism, democracy and social justice.
While his party has not done well politically, Aazad has gained immense popularity quickly, mainly because of his personal appeal and because of the Bhim Army’s loud and visible raising of Dalit issues in UP and adjoining states.
Chandrashekhar Aazad was born in a village in Saharanpur district and is a law graduate. The Bhim Army was founded in 2014, by Aazad and Vinay Ratan Singh, to fight for the development of Dalits and other marginalised sections. Aazad’s organisation runs a number of schools for marginalised children in western Uttar Pradesh.
While Aazad gained popularity for his proud assertion of Dalit identity and amid Mayawati’s BSP losing momentum, it has not so far translated to political gains.
Ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Aazad had earlier said he would contest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi, but eventually gave support to the SP-BSP alliance. In 2020, he founded his own party.
He fought against Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from Gorakhpur, but finished fourth, winning less than 4,000 votes and losing his security deposit. Mayawati, the tallest Dalit leader in UP, has always kept Aazad at an arm’s length.
(Manas Dasgupta)
