Even as the state government’s repression on Bhim Army continues, most of its leaders still in jail and some forced to leave Saharanpur, a committee has been formed for the defense of Bhim Army. (For background information, please see the ‘Note on Bhim Army’, appended at the end of this post, which carries links to informative videos as well). A group of activists and committed lawyers have been following up the legal struggle practically at their own expense – which at the moment involves getting the arrested activists, including the founder-President Chandrashekhar out of bail as the topmost priority. Some of the activists have started getting bail many still remain, including just ordinary people simply picked up by the people and framed by the police as Bhim Army activists.

However, getting the jailed activists out on bail is simply the first step in a long battle. The deliberate campaign of vilification that has been going on about Bhim Army has tried to paint the organization as ‘antinational’ and ‘instigators of violence’ who apparently have ‘Naxalite’ connections. Even though none of this could be substantiated and thus brought by the police into their charges against the jailed activists, the campaign of demonization has nevertheless continued through some sections of the media. Needless to say, such misleading campaign is meant to incite popular feelings against such groups who have been working mainly for education and self respect among the Dalit population in their area. Such a campaign of vilification cannot but affect the chances of wining the legal battle as well. It also ends up driving people who may have initially been sympathetic to their cause by sowing doubts about them in the popular mind.

It is with this concern in mind that a large number of citizens from different walks of life have come together to form the Committee for the Defense of Bhim Army, in order to mobilize all possible support for the embattled activists.

The Committee for the Defense of Bhim Army has been constituted comprising the following members from different walks of life:

Coordinators: Pradeep Narwal and Sanjeev Mathur

Treasurers: Presenjit Gautam and Nakul Singh Sawhney

1. Anand Teltumbde, Civil rights thinker and activist, Mumbai
2. Jignesh Mewani, Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch
3. Kancha Ilaiah, Political scientist, thinker and writer, Hyderabad
4. Chandrabhan Prasad, Dalit thinker
5. Radhika Ramaseshan, Senior journalist with Business Standard
6. Harsh Mander, Human rights activist and Director, Centre for Equity Studies, Delhi
7. Syeda Hamid, Former member, Planning Commission
8. Om Thanvi, Senior journalist, former editor, Jansatta
9. Sambhaji Bhagat, Cultural activist, Maharashtra
10. Meera Velayudhan, Academic, Centre for Development Studies, Trivandrum
11. Martin Macwan, Social activist, Gujarat
12. Ratan Lal, Academic, Hindu College, Delhi University
13. Sachin Mali, Cultural activist
14. Sheetal Sathe, Cultural activist
15. S.R Darapuri , Former IPS officer, social activist
16. Colin Gonzalves, Lawyer
17. Anand Patwardhan, Film maker
18. Anil Chamadia, Journalist
19. Subhash Gatade, Writer and social activist
20. Akram Hassan, Social activist, Shamli
21. Surender, Dalit youth activist, Delhi University
22. N. Sukumar, Academic, Delhi University
23. Rehana Adib, Social activist, Saharanpur
24. Banojyotsna Lahiri, Academic and independent researcher
25. Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub, Actor
26. Amar Singh, SC/ST Trade Union, Delhi University
27. Dr. Mahesh Chandra, Bhim Army
28. Sanjay Tegwal, Bhim Army
29. Zakia Soman, Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan
30. Presenjit Gautam, Jati Todo Manch, Ghaziabad
31. Pradeep Narwal, Dalit youth activist, Jawaharlal Nehru University
32. Saroj Giri, Academic, Delhi University
33. Tushar Parmar, IRS
34. Sanjeev Mathur, Journalist
35. Nakul Singh Sawhney, Film maker
36. Praveen Verma, Research scholar, Delhi University
37. Aditya Nigam, Academic, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, Delhi
38. Amar Paswan, Ambedkarvadi Chhatra Sabha, Gorakhpur
39. Dhirendra, Poorvanchal Sena
40. Anil Yadav, Rihai Manch
41. Sagar Raghunath, Chhatra Bharati activist
42. Dr J.K. Gautam, Doctor
43. Dr. Sushil Kumar Gautam, Dalit Youth Activist, Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut
44. Subhashini Ali, Social Activist
45. Mohinder Singh, Professor, JNU
46. Prashant Nihal, Social Activist (Bihar)
47. Atul Meena, Research Scholar JNU

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