Bhim Army chief shot at in UP: Fired four rounds, bullet grazes past stomach

 Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Aazad has been shot at in UP's Saharanpur when he was travelling in a car

ANI, 28 Jun 2023: Chandra Shekhar Aazad Ravan, the Bhim Army chief, was shot at by unidentified assailants in Deoband town of Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur district. A bullet grazed his waist. Chandra Shekhar Aazad has been rushed to CHC for medical treatment and an investigation into the attack has been initiated, police said.

Chandra Shekhar Aazad was travelling in a Toyota Fortuner in Deoband when the incident happened. According to the reports, two bullets were fired at Chandra Shekhar Aazad Ravan.

#WATCH | "The bullet grazed his stomach. His condition is stable, he is out of danger. Police will investigate the matter and will take all the necessary action...," says Dr Vipin Tada, SSP Saharanpur on the attack on Bhim Army leader Chandra Shekhar Aazad#UttarPradesh pic.twitter.com/NggsTqJmc6

— ANI (@ANI) June 28, 2023

While the first bullet grazed Chandra Shekhar Aazad's waist, passing through the car seat and the door, another bullet narrowly missed the Bhim Army chief and hit the back door.

Police have said that Chandra Shekhar Aazad is “alright".

“Half an hour back, the convoy of Chandra Shekhar 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 are investigating the matter," SSP Dr Vipin Tada said.

'IDENTIFIED THEM'

Chandra Shekhar Aazad, while lying on a hospital bed, has said that his men have identified his attackers.

#WATCH | "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..," says Bhim Army leader and Aazad Samaj Party - Kanshi Ram chief, Chandra… pic.twitter.com/MLeVR8poaN

— ANI (@ANI) June 28, 2023

"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..," says Bhim Army leader and Aazad Samaj Party," Chandra Shekhar Aazad was quoted as saying by ANI.

Ed Note: The Bhim Army, alternatively Bheem Army (lit. "Ambedkar Army") or the Bheem Army Bharat Ekta Mission (translation: "Ambedkar Army Indian Unity Mission") is an Ambedkarite and Dalit rights organisation in India.It was founded by Satish Kumar, Vinay Ratan Singh and Chandra Shekhar Aazad, a lawyer in 2015.

The organisation runs more than 350 free schools for Dalits and Bahujans in the districts of Saharanpur, Meerut, Shamli and Muzaffarnagar in western Uttar Pradesh. The organisation is named after B. R. Ambedkar. Bhim Army's stated mission is "direct action based on confrontation to preserve or restore the dignity of Dalit" and it has an estimated 20,000 followers in the Saharanpur region, which has a 20% Dalit population. 

The Bhim Army is aimed at supporting the marginalized sections of society such as Dalits and farmers, and more broadly what the founder of the organisation Chandrashekhar Azad Ravan describes as "the Bahujan community which includes SCs, STs, OBCs and minorities who had been away from the mainstream for long". 

He has sought to build a coalition between Dalit and Muslims against the BJP, and has described himself as a supporter of the Indian Constitution and an opponent of theocracy and manuvāda ideology. 

On 15 March 2020, Chandrashekhar officially announced his new political party named Azad Samaj Party. As many as 98 former leaders of the Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Indian National Congress and Rashtriya Lok Dal joined the newly launched party.