IT was in 2015, in the tiny village of Chhutmalpur, in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur district, that Chandrashekhar Azad ‘Ravan’ first unveiled his might.
Dalit boys, studying at the local AHP Inter College, knocked on his doors to complain about getting assaulted by Thakur students. The Thakurs forcefully made them clean classrooms, they claimed.
“They would abuse Scheduled Caste (SC) students and assault us when they saw us sitting on benches or drinking water from common sources,” recalls Ankit Kumar, a former student of the college. “That’s when Dalit students decided to approach Chandrashekhar.”
A college alumnus, Chandrashekhar Azad was gaining a reputation as a local lawyer and Dalit leader.
A dominant caste in western Uttar Pradesh, the Thakurs, (Rajputs) owned the college and despite attempts at dialogue, college authorities and upper caste students remained hostile towards the Dalits.
“In those days, he had gathered a small group of followers and had started wearing his blue sash,” Kumar said. “The Bhim Army he used to lead, helped us with muscle power.” After the Bhim Army’s intervention, locals claimed that such caste atrocities stopped in the college. The ‘Ravan’ had revealed himself.
Thus began the cult of Chandrashekhar Azad, cofounder of the ‘rebel’ band Bhim Army. Azad eventually consolidated his growing cadre into a political outfit, the Azad Samaj Party (ASP). In 2024, he has just been elected as a Member of Parliament after running an impressive independent campaign for the Nagina seat, winning against heftier opponents, including the Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) by a significant margin.
Denne historien er fra July 01, 2024-utgaven av Outlook.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra July 01, 2024-utgaven av Outlook.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Trump's White House 'Waapsi'
Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election may very well mean an end to democracy in the near future
IMT Ghaziabad hosted its Annual Convocation Ceremony for the Class of 2024
Shri Suresh Narayanan, Chairman Managing Director of Nestlé India Limited, congratulated and motivated graduates at IMT Ghaziabad's Convocation 2024
Identity and 'Infiltrators'
The Jharkhand Assembly election has emerged as a high-stakes political contest, with the battle for power intensifying between key players in the state.
Beyond Deadlines
Bibek Debroy could engage with even those who were not aligned with his politics or economics
Portraying Absence
Exhibits at a group art show in Kolkata examine existence in the absence
Of Rivers, Jungles and Mountains
In Adivasi poetry, everything breathes, everything is alive and nothing is inferior to humans
Hemant Versus Himanta
Himanta Biswa Sarma brings his hate bandwagon to Jharkhand to rattle Hemant Soren’s tribal identity politics
A Smouldering Wasteland
As Jharkhand goes to the polls, people living in and around Jharia coalfield have just one request for the administration—a life free from smoke, fear and danger for their children
Search for a Narrative
By demanding a separate Sarna Code for the tribals, Hemant Soren has offered the larger issue of tribal identity before the voters
The Historic Bonhomie
While the BJP Is trying to invoke the trope of Bangladeshi infiltrators”, the ground reality paints a different picture pertaining to the historical significance of Muslim-Adivasi camaraderie
