BJP fostering anti-Dalit atmosphere in country: AAP's Cheema on attack on CJI

Chandigarh, Oct 8 (PTI) Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Wednesday said the attack on Chief Justice of India B R Gavai is an assault on the Supreme Court and Dalits, as he accused the BJP of "fostering an anti-Dalit atmosphere" in the country.

A 71-year-old lawyer, Rakesh Kishore, allegedly attempted to hurl a shoe towards CJI Gavai in his courtroom in the Supreme Court on Monday, but was stopped by alert security personnel. According to police sources, he was unhappy over the CJI's remarks during a hearing last month concerning the restoration of a Vishnu idol in Khajuraho.

The attack on the CJI is an assault on the Supreme Court, the Constitution and Dalits, Cheema said in a statement.

This deplorable situation, where the highest judicial authority has become a target, is a direct consequence of "anti-Dalit hatred being spread by the BJP through its unauthorised social media handles", he said.

Citing a National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report, 'Crime in India 2023', he said there has been a "frightening increase" in crimes against Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Scheduled Castes (SC) across the nation in the current political climate.

He said crimes against STs have seen a 28.8 per cent rise.

Cheema said the AAP will never allow the BJP's "anti-Dalit" policies and stratagems to succeed.

The AAP is actively formulating a comprehensive legal strategy in response to the attack on the CJI, he said.

Not only the perpetrator involved in the attack on the CJI but all those "spreading venom" against the Dalit community on social media must be identified and prosecuted, he said. PTI CHS DIV DIV