Dalit protest in MP turns violent

A bandh called in Burhanpur town in Madhya Pradesh to protest against the Bhima Koregaon caste clashes in Maharashtra’s Pune district took a violent turn on Thursday with a mob allegedly damaging 12 vehicles and stoning trucks plying on Ichhapur-Indore state highway.

The shutdown was called by Dalit groups — the Buddhist Society, Bhim Sena, and other outfits — against Monday’s violence at Bhima Koregaon village and nearby areas in Pune district during an event to mark the 200th anniversary of a battle between Peshwas and British forces.

The bandh has affected normal life in Burhanpur town. Burhanpur district shares common border with Jalgaon, Amravati, Buldhana, and Akola districts of Maharashtra which witnessed protests during the bandh called by dalit groups on Wednesday.

The Union home ministry on Thursday received a factual report from the Maharashtra government on the prevailing situation in the state, a ministry spokesperson said.

The home ministry and the Maharashtra government are in constant touch over the situation in the state.

Another official said the Centre had assured the state government all necessary assistance to deal with the violence and protests and bring back normalcy to the state.

Meanwhile, the district police are yet to make any headway into the death of a 28-year-old man during the violence that erupted near Bhima Koregaon village on January 1 during the bicentennial event to commemorate a war.

Rahul Phatangale, a resident of Kanur Mesai village, was the lone casualty in the Monday’s violence that sparked angry protests by dalit groups across Maharashtra for the next two days.