I was arrested for reading Constitution at Jama Masjid: Bhim Army chief

Bhim Army Chief Chandrashekhar Azad on Friday said that he was arrested for reading the Constitution during the protest against CAA at Jama Masjid in the national capital.

Speaking at a press conference, Azad said, "What I had said at Jama Masjid was not a provocative speech but the same is written in the Constitution. I was arrested for that speech."

Azad then read out the Preamble of the Constitution and said he will read it daily.

"We are fighting for the unity of the country. I went to Jama Masjid on December 20 to oppose the CAA, NRC and NPR. This is because it is a historical place where the mausoleum of Abul Kalam Azad is located," he said.

"During the division of the country, Abul Kalam Azad had said that Muslims should not go to Pakistan and this country belongs to them and its division will bring them only loss. Now I think that with CAA and NRC, the country is divided on religious lines again," the Bhim Army chief said.

He further said, "I hail from a village and I know whenever communal riots took place, no politician is harmed and only the common man dies. We do not want this to happen to our country. That is why I came out to protest."

"The court has advised me to respect Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I respect him because he is at a constitutional post but at the same time, I request him to honour the Constitution," Azad added.

Azad was arrested on December 21 last year after he led a march from the Jama Masjid against the CAA. He was sent to the judicial custody till January 18 at the Tihar Jail.

The Bhim Army chief was on Wednesday granted bail in connection with the Daryaganj violence case. He was charged with rioting, unlawful assembly and inciting the mob to indulge in violence after vandalism in Delhi's Daryaganj area.