New Delhi : India’s Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad has been named in the list of global emerging leaders in the TIME Magazine’s 100 Annual Emerging Leaders. Along with Azad, India-based lawyer Vijaya Gadde, UK Finance Minister Rishi Sunak, Instacart founder and CEO Apoorva Mehta, Doctors Shikha Gupta and Rohan Pavuluri have been shortlisted.
The list, which was released on Wednesday, features six Indian-origin leaders.
Chandrashekhar Azad was born in Ghadkouli village near Chatmal in Saharanpur on 2nd December 1986. In 2015, he erected a board that read, ‘Ghadkouli Welcome You the Great Chamars’ in his hometown. Chandrashekhar, who studied law, witnessed many transformations in his area in 2014 after establishing an organization called Bhim Army.
In 2017, upper-caste Thakurs brutally attacked the Dalits in the village of Shabbirpur in Saharanpur. The protests that occurred in its aftermath had turned violent, thus becoming major news in the country. Chandrashekhar was then arrested and jailed for more than a year. After his release, he became involved in the fight against CAA and NRC and thereby gained widespread attention.
More recently, he established the Azad Samaj Party and is involved in organizing the party. By holding on to the aspirations of Dr. Ambedkar and Kanshiram, he has dedicated his life to fulfilling them and leading a life of struggle.
