Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad was sent to 14 days' judicial custody on Saturday, a day after he led a massive protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act in Old Delhi, reports NDTV.
A Tis Hazari court, where he was produced in the evening, dismissed the Bhim Army chief's bail plea before sending him to jail. He was accused by the Delhi police of inciting thousands to take up a protest march that eventually descended into violence on Friday. Fifteen protesters arrested during the violent protest in Old Delhi's Daryaganj area were earlier sent by the court to two days' judicial custody. The 31-year-old Bhim Army chief was not produced in court along with them, sparking concerns from defence advocates who wondered whether he was even alive or not.
On Friday, the Delhi Police had denied Chandrashekhar Azad permission to take out a protest march against the Citizenship Amendment Act from Jama Masjid to Jantar Mantar in the heart of the city. He defied the ban, doing just that. My name is Chandrashekhar Azad. Police cannot hold me captive. I wore a cap and a shawl and entered the masjid easily, he told news agency PTI at the time.
Even as he was being arrested by the Delhi Police near Jama Masjid, Chandrashekhar Azad had said that the agitation against the controversial law should not be allowed to weaken.Azad was taken into police custody from outside the Jama Masjid in Delhi in the early hours of Saturday, PTI reported. He had been inside the mosque since a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act on Friday afternoon, and surrendered around 3.15 am, reports Scroll.in.
“We have to make sacrifice so that the legislation is taken back,” Azad said. “We do not support violence. We were sitting inside the mosque since Friday morning and our people were not involved in violence.” At 3.18 am, Azad tweeted that he was willing to surrender if all others who were detained were released. He urged protestors to carry on their demonstrations peacefully after he was jailed. Earlier, Azad had claimed that those who committed violence were from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and wanted to weaken their movement. Violence and a police crackdown was reported on Friday evening.
After the Friday prayers in the afternoon, a huge crowd had gathered in front of Jama Masjid in Old Delhi to protest against the amended law. Azad, who had been denied permission to protest, was spotted in the front lines of the crowd, holding up a photo of BR Ambedkar. The Dalit leader was soon detained by the police, but escaped from their custody and returned to the protest venue. “He surrendered before the police at gate number 1 and is being taken to the Crime Branch’s office for further investigation,” an unidentified police officer told The Indian Express.
“Bhim Army stands for the protection of the Constitution which is bestowed by BR Ambedkar,” the Dalit leader told the newspaper. “We will not allow division of the country.”
According to a Bhim Army functionary, their protest started after the Friday prayers around 1 pm and Azad was present at the time. However, when the police tried to detain him, supporters took him away and he was given shelter by a family. “For three hours, even we thought he had been detained. But around 4 pm, he appeared inside Jama Masjid,” the functionary said.
The Bhim Army asserted that the police had tried to escort Azad away from Jama Masjid but he managed to get away. The Dalit leader was ‘caught’ later near Daryaganj but escaped from there too.
Hours after Azad led the massive rally at Jama Masjid, protestors carrying Indian flags and “Save the Constitution” banners marched from the mosque to Jantar Mantar in Central Delhi, when they were stopped at Delhi Gate. However, the crowd refused to back down and a car was set on fire outside Daryaganj police station as a confrontation became imminent. Policemen, who deployed anti-riot Vajra vehicles, then used water cannons and to disperse the crowd, and assaulted them with batons.
Many people, including minors, were feared injured in the demonstrations. Eight minors were detained at the Daryaganj police station. However, they were later released. Police officials said 40 people had been detained in connection with the protests at Daryaganj.
