Dalit leader, Prakash Ambedkar and AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi—who shouted the slogan of “Jai Bheem, Jai Bheem”— didn’t raise issue of the ghastly incident in which Dalit Basti was brutally attacked by a group of Muslims in Jaunpur district in UP. Even Chandrashekhar Azad, President of Bhim Army, didn’t find it necessary to speak up for Dalit victims.
An argument among children of Dalits (Hindu backward class) and Muslims over plucking mangoes from an orchard and a buffalo hitting a goat while grazing took a violent turn to riot in which:
- Over a dozen Dalits’ hutments were set on fire,
- 14 of their houses were massively damaged,
- 3 of their goats and a buffalo were burnt alive and
- 4 of their members sustained grievous injuries after Dalit Basti was raided by Muslims in a village in Jaunpur district in eastern UP on 9 June.
On evening of 9 June, some Dalit and Muslim children were grazing buffaloes and goats, when they started quarrelling. Initially, the village head intervened and pacified both the groups. However, around 8 pm, group of Muslims raided the Dalit Basti again and attacked the locals injuring Ravi, Atul, and Pawan. After ransacking Dalits’ houses the group set their hutments on fire. It is alleged Dalit families complained with police that the fight began after the Muslim boys hurled casteist slurs at them.
35 Muslim rioters including Samajwadi Party leader Mohammad Javed Siddiqui, Aftab alias Hitler, and Noor Alam were arrested by state police, while at least 100 unknown people have been booked in arson.
Taking swift action UP CM Yogi Adityanath ordered the district police authorities to invoke Gangster Act and impose National Security Act (NSA) against the main culprits – Noor Alam and Javed Siddiqui – who indulged in arson. Leaving no stone unturned to rehabilitate the victims, CM Yogi ordered the concerned authority to sanction ₹1 lakh each to the families who lost their belongings and huts, and to allot accommodation to the victims under the CM housing scheme.
Therefore, what purpose does the slogan of “Jai Bheem, Jai Meem,” serve when the leaders don’t speak up against the persecution inflicted upon Dalits by Muslims?
When AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi shouted slogan of “Jai Bheem, Jai MEEM” on 13 August 2016 in Lucknow during his address in upcoming assembly elections in UP, he had invented the idea of deadly combination of Hindu backward classes, Dalit+Muslim vote bank to hurt rising unity of Hindus, who had been persecuted for centuries by Islamic invaders.
Later, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA)—which was founded by Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar on 20 May 2018–formed a coalition with from the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen to cement the ideology of ”Jai Bheem, Jai MEEM.”
Dalits are always reminded how they were discriminated by upper caste in undivided India. What “Jai Bheem, Jai Meem,” crusaders don’t educate Dalits is; that they have been provided “reservation” in independent India to bring them into mainstream in terms of employment; that no anticipatory bail is granted in cases under the Scheduled Cast and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The biggest drawback of Dalit-Muslim unity is no leader speaks in favour of Dalit victims of crimes committed by Muslims. There are such uncountable incidents which do not make even news.
- Muslim barbers refused to cut hair of Dailt in Peepalsana village under Bhojpur police station in Moradabad district in UP in July 2019.
- A Muslim mob in Nurpur, Begusarai, Bihar attacked a family and sexually assaulted two women belonging to Mahadalit community, while trying to kill one of the members of the family on the night of 10 June 2019.
- A Dalit wedding procession was attacked by group of Muslims while it was passing in front of a mosque in Pipalarwa village in Madhya Pradesh’s Dewas district on 29 May 2019.
- A Dalit couple Bajjan Das and Manju Devi and their two minor children were burnt alive while they were sleeping in their house in Bihar’s Ajamnagar of Katihar district on night of 10 June 2018. There are incalculable number of such cases which are reported but identity of criminal is hidden.
Besides, Muslim educational institutions like AMU does not give reservation to Dalits and OBCs. No Madarsa in India celebrates Ambedkar Jayanti.
Persecution of Dalits by Muslims have been on rise since ages. Like Bhim Rao Ambedkar, Jogindra Nath Mandal, an important Dalit leader of erstwhile undivided Bengal, placed his faith on Jinnah’s Pakistan as he felt that Dalits would be safer in Islamic Pakistan. He was instrumental in the migration of lakhs of Dalits to Pakistan. He occupied the high constitutional post of Law Minister of Pakistan, however, he could not do anything significant for the Dalits. Most of them were deprived of even basic human rights. A significant percentage of the Dalits were forced to convert to Islam to save their lives. A dejected Jogindra Nath Mandal returned to India. Islamic Republic of Pakistan had 20 percent Hindu population, a substantial chunk of which comprised of Dalits. Today, population of Hindus has gone down to almost 2 percent. Such is the story of marriage between Dalit and Muslims.
Nevertheless, fake agenda of “Jai Bheem, Jai Meem,” continues to fly in the air.
