The Bhim Army, alternatively Bheem Army (lit."Ambedkar Army") or the Bheem Army Bharat Ekta Mission (translation: "Ambedkar Army Indian Unity Mission") is an Ambedkarite and Dalit rights organisation in India. It was founded by Satish Kumar, Vinay Ratan Singh and Chandra Shekhar Aazad in 2015. The organisation runs more than 350 free schools for Dalits and Bahujans in the districts of Saharanpur, Meerut, Shamli and Muzaffarnagar in western Uttar Pradesh. The organisation is named after B. R. Ambedkar. Mission Bhim Army's stated mission is "direct action based on confrontation to preserve or restore the dignity of Dalit" and it has an estimated 20,000 followers in the Saharanpur region, which has a 20% Dalit population. The Bhim Army is aimed at supporting the marginalized sections of society such as Dalits and farmers, and more broadly what the founder of the organisation Chandrashekhar Azad Ravan describes as "the Bahujan community which includes SCs, STs, OBCs and minorities who had been away from the mainstream for long". He has said that "We may even gherao the Vidhan Sabha in support of our demands". He has sought to build a coalition between Dalit and Muslims against the BJP, and has described himself as a supporter of the Indian Constitution and an opponent of theocracy and manuvāda ideology. History Chandrashekhar Azad Ravan founded the Bhim Army in 2015 to protect constitutional rights and oppose caste oppression. The group formed after reports of discrimination and caste-based violence faced by Dalit students at AHP Inter-college in Uttar Pradesh, and the Bhim Army then helped protect the Dalit students. Azad gained attention after publicly posting a sign which read "The Great Chamar of Dhadkauli Welcome You." Upper-caste Thakurs were upset with the Dalit celebration of identity and objected to the erection of the board. But, the Bhim Army intervened and ensure that the Thakurs did not unleash any violence. In another incident, the Thakurs prevented a Dalit groom from riding a horse to his wedding. Yet again, the Bhim Army intervened and escorted the groom. The Bhim Army attained national prominence after clashes in Uttar Pradesh. In June 2017, the group's leader Chandrashekhar, a lawyer, was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force. Chandrashekhar was granted bail by the Allahabad High Court in November 2017, but the Uttar Pradesh government led by Yogi Adityanath continued to detain him under the National Security Act until it dropped the