Streets of Delhi turned into a violent spot on Wednesday evening when Police attempted to stop the marching band of Bhim Army protesting against the demolition of Ravidas Temple.
Demonstrators set vehicles on fire, breaking down the glasses of cars and buses. The situation turned into grave law & order problem that Police had to resort to ‘lathi-charge’ and tear-gas shells. As many as 15 policemen suffered injuries in the disturbing event.
Delhi Police has arrested Bhim Army Chief Chandrashekhar Azad in connection to the incident. He has been filed with many charges under IPC sections 147, 149, 186, 353, 332 at Govindpuri police station. It is also estimated that around 91 miscreants have been arrested too along with the party’s leader.
In the day, Dalits started reaching the national capital to begin the protests. They initiated their march from Ambedkar Bhawan in Jhandewalan to Ramlila Maidan in Central Delhi. Dalit community is furious over the demolition of Ravidas Temple in South Delhi’s Tughlaqabad area. The temple was pulled down on 10 August following the orders of Supreme Court dated 09.08.2019. This sparked a series of controversies which saw protests in various parts of Punjab. Considerable parts of Punjab saw complete shutdown in previous week organized by the Ravidasia community.
Due to the scuffle between law authorities and protestors, some areas of Delhi witnessed heavy traffic-jam. Jasola Vihar, Greater Kailash, Alaknanda, Sangam Vihar, Kalkaji Mandir, roads leading to Govindpuri, Nehru Place, Badarpur, and Noida were some of the major areas that saw slow vehicular movement.
It is also expected that some political parties are planning to gather at Jantar Mantar today to demand the reconstruction of Ravidas Temple. Aam Aadmi Party has also voiced its support in joining the mentioned event.
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