Bhima Koreagaon Clashes: Violence Spills Over to Mumbai’s Chembur
In the battle that took place in 1818, the British Army comprising Dalits had defeated upper-caste Peshwas.
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Parts of Mumbai on Tuesday witnessed a spill over of the violence that stemmed from the clashes that broke out between Dalit groups and Marathas in Bhima Koregaon earlier on Monday, 1 January.
The earlier clashes took place following an argument between the two groups during an event which was to mark the 200th anniversary of the Koregaon battle near Pune.
The agitation in Mumbai that followed the violence led to local train services in parts of the city being shut down. People took to the roads of the country’s financial capital, staging road rokos and stalling transport services, forcing the police to intervene.
In some cases, the security personnel also had to resort to lathi charge to control the situation.
The epicentre of the action in Mumbai unfolded in Chembur, where shops were shut down after violence erupted in the area, following protests by groups. However, life limped back to normalcy by Tuesday evening, with heavy security presence in the area.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that his government will seek a judicial inquiry into the violence at Bhima Koregaon, which left one person dead and many more injured. Fadnavis also said a CID inquiry will be carried out and promised compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the deceased’s family.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi snubbed the RSS-BJP for their “fascist vision”. “A central pillar of the RSS/BJP’s fascist vision for India is that Dalits should remain at the bottom of Indian society,” he wrote.
The chairperson of Bharip Bahujan Mahasangh — Prakash Yashwant Ambedkar, who is also the grandson of Babasaheb Ambedkar, has called for a bandh across Maharashtra on Wednesday.
Ambedkar alleged that Hindu Ekta Aghadi was responsible for the violence. He said Maharashtra Democratic Front, Maharashtra Left Front, besides 250 organisations, have supported tomorrow's shutdown.
He alleged the trouble occurred because of Hindu Ekta Aghadi and Shivraj Pratishthan, headed by Milind Ekbote and Sambhaji Bhide, respectively.
A complaint was filed against Jignesh Mevani and Umar Khalid for allegedly making provocative statements
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