Lucknow, Jan 30: Dalit outfit Bhim Army has demanded the release of the group's founder Chandrashekhar Azad, citing the alleged inaction adopted by the BJP-ruled state governments against the Shri Rajput Karni Sena, which staged violent demonstrations to protest the release of Bollywood film Padmaavat.

Azad, who was arrested in May last year for his alleged role in the caste clashes which broke out in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur, has been kept under custody by invoking the rigorous National Security Act (NSA) charges against him.

Bhim Army spokesperson Ravi Kumar Gautam accused the BJP-ruled regimes in UP and neighbouring states of acting soft against the Karni Sena cadres, despite their blatant violations of the law and order.

"They even waved their flags while attacking a school bus with children inside," Gautam pointed out, while speaking to News 18, further adding, "On the other hand, Azad, who has always advocated peaceful protests, is being kept in jail as if he was a terrorist."

Azad was earlier scheduled to be released on February 3. However, the UP government has extended his detention citing the NSA charges levelled against him.

The Bhim Army has planned a jail bharo andolan in all parts of the state, if Azad is not released by February 3. The agitation will begin in Saharanpur, the Bhim Army spokesperson said, and eventually spread to other districts of UP if the state government remains defiant.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 30, 2018 05:12 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).