Dalit protesters f lood city streets

New Delhi, August 21 

A protest by Dalits against the demolition of a Ravidas temple in south Delhi turned violent on Wednesday, prompting police to resort to “mild lathicharge” and use tear gas to disperse the crowd, an official said. 

A group of protesters turned violent during their march to the site of the temple demolished by the Delhi Development Authority on August 10 on the orders of the Supreme Court. 

Some policemen were injured in the incident, the senior official said.

Dalit outfit Bhim Army claimed their leader Chandrashekhar Azad had been detained and that the police fired at the protesters. 

The stretch between Jhandewalan and Ramlila Maidan in central Delhi turned into a sea of blue as thousands of Dalits from various parts of the country hit the streets of the city on Wednesday to protest the recent demolition of a Ravidas mandir in the Capital. 

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) had demolished the temple on August 10 on the orders of the Supreme Court. Wearing blue caps and carrying flags, protesters of all age groups marched from Ambedkar Bhawan in Jhandewalan to the Ramlila Maidan. 

Traffic movement was affected in some parts of the city due to this. Cries of ‘Jai Bhim’ rend the air as the protesters, who arrived from Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and other states. — PTI

Temple demolition

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) had demolished a Ravidas mandir in the Capital on August 10 on the orders of the Supreme Court.