With Bhim Army, Saharanpur fights for its identity

Dalits always held a majority, but Bhim Army has given them courage to counter injustices

Crossing the sleepy village of Ghadkoli in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur, an unlikely blue board emerges. In a simple, bold font, the board spells “The great Chamar” in Hindi. While it bears no sign of any violence, this ostensibly plain board has fired up passions across caste lines in this village and others around Saharanpur. While the word Chamar is prohibited and its usage is punishable under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, the upper caste Thakurs and Yadavs took particular notice of the prefix “great”.

As a result, the board was burnt down twice.