YEAR-LONG SAGA OF CLASHES
For decades, celebrations at Bhima Koregaon went off peacefully. But last year, riots broke out, triggering a chain of violence and arrests
2017
December 31
Elgaar Parishad, a conference organised by various leftist outfits, is held in Pune
2018
JANUARY 1
Violence erupts at Bhima Koregaon and nearby villages amid celebrations of the 200th anniversary of a war between the British and Peshwas. The clashes leave one person dead and four others injured. The riots also cause damage to property worth
~40 crore.
JANUARY 2
An FIR is filed against right-wing Hindu leaders Milind Ekbote and Sambhaji Bhide after pressure from leaders from Left-leaning parties and Dalit activists. Police arrest Ekbote.
JANUARY 8
FIR is filed against six members of the Kabir Kala Manch(KKM), a Left-leaning cultural organisation, for making "provocative" and "inflammatory" statements during Elgaar Parishad. This FIR is modified on June 8 by adding the names of activists in Delhi and other cities.
FEBRUARY 14 Another FIR is registered against Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani and JNU student Umar Khalid for allegedly provocative speeches at Elgaar Parishad.
APRIL 17 Police conduct multi-city raids at houses of prominent activists and lawyers including Kabir Kala Manch members in Pune, Mumbai and Delhi.
JUNE 6 Pune police arrest five persons in connection with the Elgaar Parishad: Dalit activist Sudhir Dhawale, lawyer Surendra Gadling, activist Rona Wilson, activist Mahesh Raut and former professor Shoma Sen
AUGUST 28 Pune police arrest poet P Varavara Rao, activists Vernon Gonsalves, Arun Ferreira, and trade unionist and rights lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj, and Gautam Navlakha in connection with the Elgaar Parishad case.
NOVEMBER 15 Pune police file charge sheet against activists and lawyers arrested in June, accusing them of “inciting” violence at Bhima Koregaon and invoking charges of sedition.