Addressing a rally in Chhattisgarh’s Bhatgaon on July 4 Bhim Army chief and Member of Parliament Chandrashekhar Azad, questioned the police action following last month’s Balodabazar arson incident as he accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party of committing atrocities on Satnamis, a prominent Dalit community of the State.
Mr. Azad’s arrival to the State happens nearly three weeks after unrest and violence erupted over the desecration of Satnami community’s sacred Jaitkham pillars in Chhattisgarh Balodabazar district. Demanding a CBI probe into the matter, he raised questions over the conspiracy behind the incident itself – which saw the district Superintendent of Police’s office being burnt down – and claimed that the police had been arresting innocent people in connection with the case, including some of his Bhim Army colleagues.
“A judicial probe has already been ordered (into the incident) and the panel has sought time of three months for its investigation. But action is being taken against the people of Satnami community selectively as they are being arrested, tortured and harassed,” he claimed.
He further alleged that the government and the Opposition [Congress] were together in suppressing the Dalit community.
“If you have the courage to do justice, then get a CBI inquiry done, we are ready for a CBI inquiry, and if not, then we will accept that the ruling party and the Opposition have joined forces to destroy us. The ruling party and the opposition have joined forces to destroy us and our Sect, which can never happen. Satnamis were, are and will remain,” he said at the rally in Bhatgaon, a town in the outskirts of the Capital Raipur.
The Nagina Lok Sabha MP, who submitted a memorandum demanding a CBI probe to Chhattisgarh Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan at the Raj Bhavan earlier, also threatened an agitation if his demands were not met.
“They [the Satnamis] are not helpless. I appeal to you too with folded hands, consider it my request that stop this atrocity, it will be good for everyone. And release the innocent people you have arrested without any conditions. It will be good for everyone, otherwise there will be an agitation and if there is an agitation, then Chandrashekhar Azad will publicise it by touring one village after the other, its publicity would be done by every official of the Bhim Army and the Azad Samaj because in democracy you cannot stop us from raising our voice,” he said.
Following the arson incident on June 10, the police have arrested at least 151 people. In the immediate aftermath of the incident, two State ministers had accused Congress leaders of instigating the crowd during the protest while the Congress had also claimed that for the June 10 protest in Balodabazar, the leaders of the ruling BJP had made arrangements for the protesters.
