Members of the Azad Samaj Party (political outfit of Chandra Shekhar Azad) and the Bhim Army Bharat Ekta Mission (socio-educational wing of Azad Samaj Party) staged a protest in Jamshedpur on Wednesday and submitted a memorandum to Jharkhand chief minister and state DGP against police inaction on hate speeches and atrocities against Dalits.

Nearly 150 members began the protest march from Sakchi and culminated in the form of a dharna at the district collectorate in Jamshedpur, the industrial hub of Jharkhand. A delegation then submitted a memorandum addressed to the chief minister Hemant Soren through the deputy commissioner East Singhbhum with a copy to the state director general of police Ajay Kumar Singh (shared through official email and X).

It threatens to stage a dharna in front of Raj Bhavan (in Ranchi) and organise a jail bharo agitation if the government does not take action on their demands.

The memorandum informs about two recent alleged instances of hate speeches and the police failure to lodge an FIR as per the Supreme Court verdict.

“Last month during the Durga Puja a video had gone viral showing a BJP MLA from Panki constituency Shashi Bhushan Mehta making an unconstitutional and hate speech against the Muslim community. Due to such statements by a lawmaker, there is a danger of spoiling the communal harmony in the state. However, police is yet to lodge an FIR against the MLA,” said Azad Samaj Party Jharkhand president Kashif Raja.

“We also drew attention to the videos of the hate speeches of BJP leader Abhay Singh against the Muslim community which threatens communal harmony in the city. Recently, Abhay Singh was found involved in the communal violence in Ranikudar, Jamshedpur and was in jail and is out on bail.

“However, no FIR has been lodged afresh against Abhay Singh,” added Raja.

Significantly, the Supreme Court had in April this year directed states to suo motu register FIRs on hate speech incidents and proceed against offenders without waiting for someone to lodge a complaint.

The memorandum then lists out atrocities against Dalits and the police inaction.

“In the Bar Association of Hazaribagh district, Dalit advocate Vivek Valmiki was beaten up and allegedly given caste-based abuses, the video of which has gone viral. In this regard, a case has been lodged at Sadar police station. We want all the criminals involved in the incident to be arrested immediately,” the memorandum states.