Bhim Army chief's release not for votes: UP minister

The Uttar Pradesh government has refuted suggestions that it released Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad from custody under the NSA for the sake of Dalit votes, saying he was allowed to walk free as normalcy has now returned to Saharanpur.

"The government had sought a confidential report and found that the situation has normalised, and he was released," UP Law Minister Brijesh Pathak told PTI here.

Azad was detained under the stringent National Security Act (NSA) after the 2017 Saharanpur violence between the Dalit and the Thakur communities.

The UP government ordered his release on September 13, revoking the earlier order which would have kept him in detention till November 1.

Today, the situation is normal in Saharanpur and the adjoining districts, Pathak said in an interview.

He said the state government's decision to release Azad should not be viewed from the point of elections.

"When someone is booked under the NSA, it is not for life. It is first imposed for three months and if the district administration feels it necessary, then it is extended for the next three more months and so on, he said.

The NSA is an immediate measure that is slapped on a person who poses a threat to society, to law and order or can trigger fear," he said