Background

Chandrashekhar Ravan is a self proclaimed social activist, charged with a number of serious allegations, including assaulting public servants, unlawful assembly, rioting, carrying a lethal weapon, and violating the peace. The organisation Bhim Army led by Raven has been charged by the district administration with being a bunch of "terrorists" and "Naxalites."

 

Chandrashekhar Ravan is a self proclaimed social activist, charged with a number of serious allegations, including assaulting public servants, unlawful assembly, rioting, carrying a lethal weapon, and violating the peace. The organisation Bhim Army led by Raven was charged by the district administration for being a bunch of "terrorists" and "Naxalites."^[1]. ‘India is threatened by Brahminism, not Muslims’, Ravan had said on several occasions with a motive of radicalising the communities.^[2].

Chandrashekhar Ravan was part of the anti-CAA protests, leading Shaheen Bagh and other anti-CAA violent protests under the 'Samvidhan Suraksha Samiti'. Notwithstanding his claims to be protecting Dalit rights, Ravan was charged with inciting violence after his detention in June 2017 during caste-based disturbances in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. This arrest was the most notable of Ravan's many. He had been charged under the National Security Act (NSA), and the Uttar Pradesh Police have charged him with instigating violence during demonstrations. Ravan's statements had provoked violence on multiple occasions.^[3].

 

SOCIAL MEDIA 

 

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IMPORTANT ACTIVITIES

  

 

Leading anti-CAA protests

 

• While opposing the CAA, Ravan and his followers were seated inside the mosque. He declared that the demonstration would go on until Home Minister Amit Shah resigned and that he would soon speak to the demonstrators at Jamia Millia Islamia University.^[4].
• Delhi Police arrested  Chandrashekhar Ravan into custody. Chandrashekhar Ravan was taken into custody on the charges of encouraging a mob to use violence. Before being caught, he, along with hundreds of supporters, shouted slogans and waved flags from the steps of the mosque, dramatically.^[5].
• Chandrashekhar Ravan is mentioned in the chronology part of a charge sheet submitted by the Delhi Police about the Delhi riots. Ravan had called for a Bharat Bandh on February 23, the day before the riots in Delhi started, in order to demand reservations and express disapproval of CAA-NRC-NPR. According to the charge sheet, the police have alleged that the barricading of the Jafrabad metro station served as one of the reasons for the violence, and was a reaction to the call for a Bharat Bandh by Ravan. Chandrashekhar Ravan appeared at the Delhi Jama Masjid amid the anti-CAA protests, ostentatiously violating a police-enforced protest prohibition which was to ensure peace in the region.^[6].

 

 

Inciting caste conflicts

 

• During the Hathras incident, three Bhim Army workers broke into the family's house as the political situation worsened and moved in as ‘relatives’ as the police were bringing the dead to her village. Subsequently, the imaginary ‘relatives’ who continued to bring up caste-related concerns surrounding the crime and made provocative statements were later revealed as Bhim Army members.^[7].
• Karni Sena filed a police complaint, in which they stated that Chandrashekhar Ravan had been actively dividing the society along caste lines. Also they highlighted that Chandrashekhar is also involved in the exodus of hindu girls.^[8].

 

 

Obstructing the administration work

 

• Chandrashekhar Ravan threatened the administrative officer, the SDM, and the circle officer (CO) that a case would be filed against the officers under the SC/ST Act."I can file a case against you under SC/ST Act, if you don't know then know. It is a very easy task for me" Chandrashekhar said.^[9].
• Chandrashekhar Ravan at a gathering in Muzaffarnagar, stated that, "There is a limit to our patience." He also said that, “the mob here is only waiting for my signal.”^[10].

 

 

Creating divisions in the society

 

• The first meeting between Dalit Panthers and Black Panthers took place on May 28 and 29, 2022, in Nanded, Maharashtra. Dalit Panthers’ co-founder J. V. Pawar and Chandrashekhar Ravan, Rohith Vemula's brother Raja Vemula also were present at the two-day international conference. The first International Dalit-Black Panther Conference was held in Nanded on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the Indian Dalit Panther. The conference was organised by Rahul Pradhan, President of Yuva Panther, and Azad Samaj Party Maharashtra.^[11].

 

 

Misogynist behaviour

 

• Chandrashekhar Ravan called all the women who supported Prime Minister Modi as “Dallas” (pimps) and “prostitutes” accusing them of selling their bodies to BJP leaders. On March 25, 2018, Ravan wrote an extremely vile and abusive tweet against journalist Jagrati Shukla, where he called her a “prostitute”.^[12]. Ravan had numerous times used such vile language for women who are not inclined to his ideology and political stances.
• Chandrashekhar was accused by Rohini Ghavari of playing with the lives of numerous girls. Meanwhile, Ghavari disclosed that she had relations with Chandrashekhar. Ghavari claimed that by hiding his marriage, Chandrashekhar, as ‘Ravan’, was playing with the honour of multiple girls. She claimed that even a ‘woman’ supported him in this because of the crores of rupees he was receiving for his ‘movement’.^[13].
• Chandrashekhar had also multiple times used vile language for female journalists. Journalists who were at the recieving end of Ravan's sexist and vulgar remarks were Jagriti Shukla^[22], Kajal Hindusthani^[20], Anjana Om Kashyap^[23] among many others.
• Chandrashekhar had also abused female politicians like Smriti Irani and Hema Malini with vulgar comments. ^[21]

 

 

Politicisation of Protests

 

• Chandrashekhar Ravan also took part in the farmer protests. Ravan visited the protest site near the border with Ghazipur to show his support for the farmers' protests. In an effort to incite protesters, Ravan advised them to hold out until all of their demands were satisfied. He advised, "Don't stop protesting until the government agrees to all of your demands." Posters featuring the Khalistani terrorists Jarnail Singh and Bhindranwale were displayed during a number of blockades that were part of the farmers' protests along the Punjab-Haryana border.^[14]

 

 

Caste-based violence

 

• Chandrashekhar was arrested and charged under the National Security Act in 2017 after caste-based violence broke out in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh leaving one dead and several injured. 24 FIRs against him were filed for allegedly inciting the violence.^[15].

 

 

Instigating the youth

 

• A local BSP leader accused Chandrashekhar of radicalising the youth in the name of casteism. "If Chandrashekhar wants to do social work, then why didn't he build an organisation like RSS, Chandrashekhar just do politics," the BSP leader said.^[16].
• Chandrashekhar Ravan attended the Koregaon Bhima battle anniversary in Jaistambh in Perne village on January 1, 2019, despite being prohibited from speaking at any public gathering in Pune. The one-day meeting that took place in Pune on December 31, 2017, was accused of organisers having ties with Maoists. In addition to making some well-known arrests in the case, Pune City Police had alleged that the violence at Koregaon Bhima last year was started by the "provocative" speeches given during the conference.^[17].
• Chandrashekhar Ravan addressed a rally in Pune on December 30 2017, ahead of the 201 anniversary of the Battle of Bhima Koregaon. Jignesh Mevani, Umar Khalid, Bharip Bahujan Mahasangh leader Prakash Ambedkar and Bhim Army's Vinay Ratan Singh were among the speakers there. The police claim that the speeches at the conclave had played a role in instigating the violence in the last event (Elgar Parishad 2017) in which one person was killed and several injured.The Pune Police, investigating Maoist links in the Elgar Parishad, in their charge sheet against 10 activists stated that the months-long preparation of the conclave and speeches made there aggravated the violence, which happened the next day at Bhima Koregaon.^[18].

 

 

Threatening and abusing journalists

 

• The head of Bheem Army acted inappropriately when a youtuber asked a simple inquiry. ‘Shut up, keep quiet. You are just a kid, you will not tell me what is what’, Ravan can be seen saying these to a young journalist and in a threatening tone. Also said that, “such freedom is not provided to people that you can say anything, be wary of that.”^[19].
• Jagriti Shukla, a journalist, was also victim of Ravan's sexist and vulgar abuses, labelling her a 'prostitute' and a 'pimp'.^[22]
• Anjana Om Kashyap, a senior journalist, was subjected to Ravan's misogynistic and vile comments claiming her to be selling her body.^[23]
• Chandrashekhar Ravan had also multiple times harassed Kajal, a journalist, with castist slurs and sexist remarks calling her words like prostitute and pimp.^[20]

[1] Civil Society members sign letter calling for Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad’s release. The Wire. (n.d.), https://thewire.in/politics/civil-society-members-letter-chandrashekhar-azad-release.

[2] Dalits around the world came forward to support Bhim Army - Velivada - educate, agitate, organize. Velivada. (2017, May 13), https://velivada.com/2017/05/13/support-bhim-army/.

[3] Singh, J. (2024, April 15). Chandrashekhar Azad Net Worth 2024 : Unraveling the financial portrait of a social activist. journalyug, https://journalyug.com/chandrashekhar-azad-net-worth/.

[4] India, P. T. of. (2019, December 21). “my name is Azad. police cannot hold me captive,” says Bhim Army chief. NDTV.com, https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/caa-protests-chandrashekhar-azad-bhim-army-chief-says-my-name-is-azad-police-cant-hold-me-captive-2152206.

[5] Sengar, M. S., & Varma, S. (2019, December 21). Bhim Army’s Chandrashekhar Azad arrested day after protest in Old Delhi. NDTV.com, https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/bhim-army-chief-chandrashekhar-azad-arrested-by-delhi-police-a-day-after-protests-against-citizenshi-2152323.

[6] Delhi Police Internal Report on riots nails BJP leader Kapil Mishra, Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad - CNBC TV18. CNBCTV18. (2020, March 7), https://www.cnbctv18.com/politics/delhi-police-internal-report-on-riots-nails-bjp-leader-kapil-mishra-bhim-army-chief-chandrashekhar-azad-5445181.htm.

[7] मृतका के यहां रिश्तेदार बनकर रहे भीम आर्मी वाले -. Jagran. (2020, October 7), https://www.jagran.com/uttar-pradesh/hathras-bhima-army-people-were-living-as-relatives-of-the-deceased-20851200.html.

[8] ABP Ganga. X (formerly Twitter). (n.d.), https://x.com/AbpGanga/status/1488037439721521154.

[9] Megh Updates. X (formerly Twitter). (n.d.-b), https://x.com/MeghUpdates/status/1757379424004292971.

[10] भीम आर्मी के चंद्रशेखर बोले- गठबंधन में है खामियां. Zee News. (n.d.), https://zeenews.india.com/hindi/india/up-uttarakhand/bhim-army-chandra-shekhar-controversial-comments-in-muzaffarpur/495316.

[11] First time in the history, dalits and Black Panthers came together. The Mooknayak English - Voice Of The Voiceless. (n.d.), https://en.themooknayak.com/bahujan-nayak/first-time-in-the-history-dalits-and-black-panthers-came-together .

[12] Rishi Bagree. X (formerly Twitter). (n.d.-c), https://x.com/rishibagree/status/1273611813800701953.

[13] Rohini Ghavari . X (formerly Twitter). (n.d.-d), https://x.com/RohiniGhavari11/status/1781919672704672156.

[14] ANI. X (formerly Twitter). (n.d.-d), https://x.com/ANI/status/1333697104020029441.

[15] Who is Chandrashekhar Azad alias Ravan?. The Indian Express. (2018, September 14), https://indianexpress.com/article/india/who-is-chandrashekhar-azad-alias-ravan-5355833/.

[16] Manjeet Panwar. X (formerly Twitter). (n.d.-d), https://x.com/panwarmanjeet14/status/1724073890014711892.

[17] Azad arrives after show of Strength, Ambedkar slams elgaar parishad case. The Indian Express. (2019, January 2), https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/chandrashekhar-azad-arrives-after-show-of-strength-ambedkar-slams-elgaar-parishad-case-5519407/.

[18] India, P. T. of. (2018, November 22). Bhima Koregaon anniversary: Bhim Army chief to address rally in Pune. NDTV.com, https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/bhima-koregaon-anniversary-bhim-army-chief-to-address-rally-in-pune-1951651.

[19] Sudhir. X (formerly Twitter). (n.d.-d), https://x.com/seriousfunnyguy/status/1759292531131752612 .

[20] X.com. X (formerly Twitter). (n.d.-a), https://x.com/kajal_jaihind/status/1273645060748226560 .

[21] X.com. X (formerly Twitter). (n.d.-a), https://x.com/Hindu_Defenders/status/1276002004674973700.

[22] X.com. X (formerly Twitter). (n.d.-a), https://x.com/Rajput_Ramesh/status/1273645490907668480 .

[23] X.com. X (formerly Twitter). (n.d.-a)), https://x.com/iAshishKSingh/status/1273644762512252928 .