Sanjay Nishad is the Member of the Legislative Council in Uttar Pradesh and the president of the Nirbal Indian Soshit Hamara Apna Dal (known as the Nishad Party). He also authored two books Nishadon ka itihas (The History of Nishads) and Bharat ka Asli Maalik Kaun hai (Who is the Real Owner of India?).
Career
Before establishing the Nishad Party in 2013, Sanjay used to run an electro-homeopathy clinic on the Geeta Vatika Road at Rapti Nagar in Gorakhpur. He approached the Supreme Court to get electro-homeopathy recognized as a medical system. In 2002, he formed the Purvanchal Medical Electro-Homeopathy Association and became its president. He is politically active for the last two decades and was initially associated with BAMCEF (Backward and Minority Communities’ Employees Federation). He also contested assembly polls from Gorakhpur rural seat but lost by 34,869 votes in 2017.
Controversies
In 2008, he formed two organisations namely All India Backward and Minority Welfare Mission and Shakti Mukti Mahasangram. Prior to launching the Nishad Party, he formed National Nishad Integration Council. He also launched a campaign to bring 553 castes of fishermen community on one platform. He first came into news when he blocked the railway tracks at Kasrawal village, in Gorakhpur’s neighbouring Sahjanwa region, demanding Scheduled caste status for Nishads on June 7, 2015.
Hundreds of Nishad community members joined him, mostly youth from Western Uttar Pradesh and Purvanchal region. A violent clash between the protesters and the police left one protester dead. The Samajwadi Party government, which was in power at that time, took stern action and registered cases against three dozen people, including Sanjay Nishad. Sanjay went underground but the rest of the accused were arrested. Later, he surrendered and was let out on bail.
At a press conference in 2017, Sanjay Nishad called HYV an 'organised gang' that carries out riots and persecutes Muslims, Dalits, backwards and Nishads.
Books
- Nishadon ka itihas (The History of Nishads)
- Bharat ka Asli Maalik Kaun hai (Who is the Real Owner of India?)