Condition of Bhim Army chief stable, cops recover attackers' vehicle

The vehicle used by the attackers of Dalit leader and Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Aazad have been recovered from a village in Saharanpur, police said on Thursday.

A bullet grazed Aazad's abdomen when unidentified assailants opened fire at his car in Saharanpur district's Deoband where he had gone to attend a ritual at a supporter's home on Wednesday evening.

The vehicle was seized from Miragpur village late on Wednesday night. The number plate of the car used in the attack showed it was registered in Haryana, police said.

Superintendent of Police (City) Abimanyu Manglik said the Bhim Army chief was undergoing treatment at the district hospital of Saharanpur and his condition was stable.

There was heavy deployment of police force on the district hospital premises as a precautionary measure as Aazad's supporters started gathering there in large numbers raising slogans and demanding the immediate arrest of the attackers.

Later, in a video message on Wednesday night, Aazad advised his supporters to remain calm and asserted that he will keep on fighting constitutionally.

Following the incident on Wednesday, the Bhim army chief was taken to a community health centre and later shifted to the district hospital, Senior Superintendent of Police of Saharanpur Vipin Tada said.

"The crime scene was examined by a forensic team. As per preliminary findings, four shots were fired at Aazad's vehicle. There were four to five attackers," the SSP said.

Meanwhile, the Azad Samaj Party's founder member and media in-charge Ajay Gautam told PTI that a memorandum would be sent to the President of India as well as the Uttar Pradesh chief minister and governor demanding Z-plus security for Chandra Shekhar Aazad.