Case Against Bhim Army Chief, 400 Others After His Hathras Visit

Bhim Army chief Chandrashekar Azad and 400 others have been accused of violating ban on large gatherings after he visited Hathras in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday to meet the family of a 20-year-old who was allegedly gang raped and tortured; she died at a hospital in Delhi last week. A case has been filed against all these people by the UP Police. 

The Bhim Army chief, also known as "Raavan", held a massive protest on Sunday after he was stopped twice by the UP Police when he was on his way to meet the victim's family. Visuals showed him standing on a truck, addressing a huge crowd. 

On being asked about the case against the Bhim Army chief, Joint Magistrate Prem Prakash Meena  today said: "Police would know better about it."

Chandrashekar Azad was allowed to meet the family on Sunday after huge protests, however, he was told he could take only 10 people along. 

When he was stopped for the first time, about 20 km from Hathras, he marched for around 5 km, along with his supporters, to cover the distance to reach the victim's home. A video showed them carrying flags and raising slogans against the government.

As he met the family on Sunday evening, he demanded Y-Plus category security for them. "When Kangana Ranaut can be given Y-plus security, meetings are being held to back the accused... I demand that the government arranges Y-Plus category security for the victim's family. We have all seen that the CBI follows the government's orders," he told the reporters. 

He also urged the administration to let him take the victim's family along with him; the request, however, was turned down. 

Chandrashekhar Azad's Hathras visit came a day after the Congress leaders - Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra - met the family at their home.

On Friday, the Bhim Army chief joined a protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar where hundreds of people came with placards and shouted slogans against the incident, which has sparked massive outrage.

Several opposition leaders were stopped from going to Hathras last Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were stopped when they made their first attempt to meet the victim's family. The next day, Trinamool Congress's Derek O'Brien and several other TMC leaders said they were manhandled "just 1.5 km from the victim's home."