Dalit groups, devouts gear up to mark battle of Bhima-koregaon
Outfits ask state govt to make arrangements for people visiting the obelisk
PUNE: Ahead of the 201st-anniversary celebrations to commemorate the battle of Bhima-koregaon on January 1, members of different Dalit outfits under aegis of Bhima Koregaon Vijay Stambh Shaurya Din Samanway Samiti, on Friday have asked district administration and state government to make stay, seating and sanitary arrangements for people visiting the obelisk.
The committee has requested the district administration to take adequate steps to provide good amenities to the Dalit Community members for their threeday stay from December 30 till January 1.
The co-ordination committee members who addressed a media interaction on Friday said that the administration should give permission for setting up pandals for conducting the sabhas.
Bhartiya Republican Yuva Morcha President and co-ordinator Rahul Dambale, said, “The district administration needs to take effective steps in providing good sitting arrangements for devout visiting the memorial.” “So far no arrangements have been made with regards to pandals and we want the district administration to plan the event properly. The process of setting up pandals at the spot usually starts months in advance but that has not happened this year,” he said.
Dambale demanded that the district administration and police take preventive action against 1,500 persons accused of rioting during last years caste violence and ensure that adequate security is provided to all those visiting the obelisk to offer their tributes. Among the others present during the media interaction included Milind Ahire of Bahujan Republican Socialist Party and Prakash Bhalerao of People’s Republican Party.
The upcoming event is the first public gathering at Koregaon Bhima after the violent clashes erupted during the 200th-anniversary event on January 1, 2018. Violence broke out at Bhima-koregaon,
THE COMMITTEE HAS SOUGHT PROPER AMENITIES FOR THE DALIT COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO WILL GATHER THERE
Sanaswadi and Vadu in Pune on January 1 after people visited the Jay Stambh. Rahul Phatangale, who was out to buy vegetables was killed and four people were injured. Incidents of violence spread to Pune, Mumbai, Thane and Aurangabad. Protests led to cancellation of trains, road blockades and violence. The Republican Party of India called for a state-wide bandh on January 3. Located around 40 kilometres from Pune, the Bhima Koregaon village has since then witnessed an uneasy clam with the locals worried of possible trouble during the annual gathering of Dalits at the victory memorial erected by the British in memory of those killed in the historic Battle of Koregaon.
This memorial is of special significance for Dalits as it has emerged as a symbol of their victory over higher castes.