Bhima Koregaon – Page 7

Koregaon Bhima inquiry commission gets yet another extension, till March 31

18/01/2023 Asha

Graphic by Arun Ferreira & Vernon Gonsalves

Five years and 10 extensions later, Bhima Koregaon inquiry goes on

22/01/2023

The Indian Express / by Chanda Haygunnde

The two-member inquiry commission has examined 48 witnesses so far, seven of them partly. More yet to be deposed.
Formed on February 9, 2018, the Commission was tasked with inquiring into the “exact sequence” of events that led to violence on the occasion of the 200th anniversary Battle of Koregaon Bhima.
Almost five years after it was constituted and after receiving 10 extensions, the Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry has yet to complete its work.
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Koregaon Bhima inquiry commission gets yet another extension, till March 31

18/01/2023

The Indian Express / by Chandan Haygunde

The two-member commission was constituted by the Maharashtra government on February 9, 2018, to inquire into the “exact sequence” of events that led to violence on the 200th anniversary of Battle of Koregaon Bhima on January 1 that year.
The Maharashtra government Tuesday granted yet another extension to the Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry. An order in this regard issued by the state home department on Tuesday stated that the commission has been given an extension of three months till March 31, 2023, to submit the report.
Read more

Also Read:
● Top Investigating Officer Admits Elgar Parishad Event ‘Had No Role’ in Bhima Koregaon Violence (The Wire / Dec 27, 2022)

Four Years After Bhima Koregaon Riots, Where Is Justice?

02/01/2023 Asha

Four Years After Bhima Koregaon Riots, Where Is Justice?

02/01/2023

Boomlive.in / by Varsha Tolgalkar

An inquiry commission was tasked to hear witnesses and publish a report on the Koregaon Bhima riots in 2018. They blame the pandemic for the delay in justice.
Anita Salve, 44, was with her children at a doctor’s clinic at Koregaon Bhima when the riots began on January 1, 2018. She witnessed a mob pelting stone, firing, and damaging vehicles, and properties. “People were carrying rods and swords. I got stuck in that scary situation,” she recollects. Two years ago, Salve appeared before the inquiry commission as a witness.
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4 Years of Bhima Koregaon Violence: Stories of Loss, Fear, and Grief

02/01/2023

The Quint / by Himanshi Dahiya

Ground report: four years on, revisiting families who lost their homes in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence.
On 1 January 2018, 44-year-old Rama Athavale and her family received a call that saved their lives. Her son’s friend informed the family that a mob of around 200 people was headed towards their area, and the Athavales must hide.
The Dalit family spent the night inside a sewage pipe behind their house in Pune’s Sanaswadi village and watched their house, grocery store, and a fabrication workshop being torched by the mob.
Read more

Also Read:
● Top Investigating Officer Admits Elgar Parishad Event ‘Had No Role’ in Bhima Koregaon Violence (The Wire / Dec 27, 2022)
● Case Against Hindutva Leaders Ignored, No Justice in Sight for Bhima Koregaon Violence Victims (The Wire / Sep 2020)
● Saffron Conspiracy in Bhima Koregaon? – Fact finding report by Rashtra Seva Dal unearths insidious scheme to target Dalits (CJP / Jan 2018)

Huge turnout at 205th anniversary of battle of Koregaon Bhima

01/01/2023 Asha

Bhima Koregaon victory remembered in Sakleshpur

02/01/2023

The Hindu / by THE HINDU BUREAU

The anniversary of Bhima Koregaon victory was celebrated in Sakleshpur on Sunday.
Hundreds of people took part in the procession held in memory of the battle held in 1818, in which a few hundred Mahar soldiers of East India Company defeated the Peshwa army at Bhima Koregaon in Pune. A replica of Bhima Koregaon pillar was carried along the procession. A federation of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes had organised the event.
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Huge turnout at 205th anniversary of battle of Koregaon Bhima

02/01/2023

The Indian Express / by Chandan Haygunde, Sushant Kulkarni

As per a Dalit narrative, a British Army comprising 500 soldiers from the Mahar community defeated a 25,000-strong force of upper caste Peshwas in the battle of Koregaon Bhima.
The programme to mark the 205th anniversary of the Battle of Koregaon Bhima at the ‘Jaystambh’ in Perne village of Pune district passed off peacefully on Sunday. ‘Jaystambh’ is a ‘military monument’ erected by the British government in 1821 in memory of its soldiers, who fought against the Peshwas during the Maratha rule at Koregaon Bhima on January 1, 1818.
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Bhima-Koregaon battle anniversary passes peacefully amid heavy security with lakhs in attendance

01/01/2023

The Hindu / by Shoumojit Banerjee

The 205th anniversary of the Bhima-Koregaon battle passed without incident as lakhs of Ambedkarites from across Maharashtra and the country congregated near the Ranstambh (victory pillar) in Perne village in Pune district on Sunday under heavy security cover.
Crowds have been steadily milling in Bhima-Koregaon since Saturday evening to pay floral tributes to the bravery of the Mahar soldiers who fought against the Peshwa forces in the 1818 battle.
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Battle of Koregaon Bhima anniversary: Thousands start paying respects at Jaystambh amidst heavy police deployment

01/01/2023

The Indian Express / by Express News Service

The district administration said it is expecting a turnout of over five lakh people this year. The police identified dozens of social media posts which can potentially lead to law and order and situation and initiated a process to delete them.
Thousands of followers have started to arrive at the Jaystambh in Pune’s Perne village marking the 205th anniversary of the Battle of Koregaon Bhima Sunday amidst heavy police deployment. The police said they are keeping a close watch on the social media posts related to the subject.
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#BhimaKoregaon

by Siddhesh Gautam / @siddheshgautam (Jan 1, 2023):

Happy New Year/ Happy Bhima Koregaon Day, 2023
#JaiBhim #BhimaKoregaon #bakeryprasad

by Shiv Kumar / @ShivKumar_mas (Jan 1, 2023):

by AISA – DU / @aisa_du (Jan 1, 2023):

Remember the battle of Bhima Koregaon! Fight for the freedom of all those incarcerated in false cases! (1)

On January 1 every year, Dalits and Bahujans gather at Bhima Koregaon near Pune to commemorate the anniversary of the Bhima Koregaon (2)

near Pune to commemorate the anniversary of the Bhima Koregaon Battle of 1818 in which the British Bombay Native Infantry, comprising mostly Mahar Dalit soldiers, defeated the Peshwa army. This date is revered by the Dalits as a victory against the Brahminical Peshwas. (3)

But in 2018, those gatherings for the function were attacked violently by men carrying saffron flags, and one man was killed and several injured as a result. (4)

At Vadhu Budruk close to Bhima Koregaon, stones were pelted at Dalits and organised ‘social boycott’ against Dalits en route to the function. (5)

Though a large gathering of Dalit-Bahujans was fully expected at Bhima Koregaon, the police presence to protect the gathering was negligible. (6)

Milind Ekbote of Samast Hindu Aghadi and Sambhaji Bhide of Shiv Pratishthan Hindustan led the attacks; Ekbote is a former corporator from the BJP andBhide also is close to top BJP and Shiv Sena leaders. (7)

Since then, the BJP government has used the violence inflicted by the RSS lackeys as a scapegoat for an all out attacks on the people and the Constitution. (8)

Several activists and intellectuals have been arrested on fabricated charges under the draconian UAPA. (9)

Teachers and intellectuals like Hany Babu, Anand Teltumbde, Shoma Sen, Rona Wilson, Gautam Navlakha among others languish in jail while Milind Ekbote and the saffron goons roam free! (10)

We remember Stan Swamy! We remember your crimes in Bhima Kroegaon! Long live the battle of Dalits against caste system! Free all political prisoners!

AISA

Also Read:
● Karni Sena demands demolition of Bhima Koregaon memorial, ban on annual celebration (Scroll.in / Dec 30, 2022)
● Let’s Remember the Lesson of Bhima Koregaon: Down with the New Peshwai (Sanhati│ by Sudhir Dhawale │ March 2018)
● The Myth of Bhima Koregaon Reinforces the Identities It Seeks to Transcend (The Wire | Anand Teltumbde | Jan 2018)
● Why peoples’ coalitions are uniting against Hindutva — the ‘new Peshwai’ (Dailyo.in │ by Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves │ Jan 30, 2018)

Karni Sena demands demolition of Bhima Koregaon memorial, ban on annual celebration

30/12/2022 Asha

Jan 1, 1927. Dr #BabaSahebAmbedkar (centre) at the Vijay Stambha in Bhima Koregaon.

Karni Sena demands demolition of Bhima Koregaon memorial, ban on annual celebration

30/12/2022

Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff

The battle of Bhima Koregaon in 1818 pertains to victory of Dalit Mahars over Brahmin Peshwa-ruled Maratha empire who were known for caste segregation.
Karni Sena, which represents the upper caste Rajputs, has demanded that the Maharashtra government should demolish the memorial located near Pune that commemorates the Battle of Bhima Koregaon, and ban the annual celebration related to the event, The Indian Express reported on Friday.
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Police issue a warning ahead of the Koregaon Bhima congregation

30/12/2022

Hindustan Times / by Nadeem Inamdar

The police order also prohibits the placement of flexes, hoardings, and banners without prior police permission and administrative approval.
In the wake of the 205th celebration of the battle of Koregaon Bhima at Perne Phata, Pune City Police have issued prohibitory orders imposing section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code from December 31 midnight till January 2, 2023 midnight to maintain law and order situation.
Read more

Also Read:
● Let’s Remember the Lesson of Bhima Koregaon: Down with the New Peshwai (Sanhati│ by Sudhir Dhawale │ March 2018)
● The Myth of Bhima Koregaon Reinforces the Identities It Seeks to Transcend (The Wire | Anand Teltumbde | Jan 2018)
● Why peoples’ coalitions are uniting against Hindutva — the ‘new Peshwai’ (Dailyo.in │ by Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves │ Jan 30, 2018)

»By Targeting Elgaar Parishad, Modi Was Getting Back at Justice Sawant«

30/12/2022 Asha

NewsClick / by Ajaz Ashraf

On the fifth anniversary of the Elgaar Parishad, on 31 December, NewsClick spoke to former Justice BG Kolse Patil, one of its organisers, on how controversy overtook the event.
Few outside Maharashtra had heard of the Marathi word Elgaar, let alone understood its meaning, until 2018. Elgaar was the name given to a meeting of people, or Parishad, convened at the Shaniwarwada Fort ground, Pune, on 31 December 2017, a day before lakhs of Ambedkarites were to visit Bhima Koregaon village from around the country. The date 1 January 2018 was special, for it marked the 200th anniversary of the battle of Bhima Koregaon, which the Ambedkarites frame as their victory over the army of Peshwa Baji Rao II (1775-1851).
Read more

Also Read:
● Let’s Remember the Lesson of Bhima Koregaon: Down with the New Peshwai (Sanhati│ by Sudhir Dhawale │ March 2018)
● Why peoples’ coalitions are uniting against Hindutva — the ‘new Peshwai’ (Dailyo.in │ by Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves │ Jan 30, 2018)

Top Investigating Officer Admits Elgar Parishad Event ‘Had No Role’ in Bhima Koregaon Violence

27/12/2022 Asha

Top Investigating Officer Admits Elgar Parishad Event ‘Had No Role’ in Bhima Koregaon Violence

27/12/2022

The Wire / by Sukanya Shantha

This is perhaps the first time any state representative has accepted that the Elgar Parishad event had no role to play in the violence. While three activists have been released on bail, and one died in custody, 12 continue to be jailed over this claim.
A senior police official investigating caste violence on members of the Dalit community at Bhima Koregaon on January 1, 2018, has, on oath, admitted that the Elgar Parishad event, organised 30-kilometres away in Pune city, had no role in the violence.
Read more

No Link Between Elgar Parishad, Violence: Cop

22/12/2022

Rediff.com / by Jyoti Punwani

The foundation of the Bhima Koregaon case was blown to bits by a senior policeman on Tuesday, December 20, 2022.
… Retired police officer Ganesh More told the Commission which is holding its hearings in Pune that he had found no connection between the Elgar Parishad and the incidents of violence that took place around Bhima Koregaon on January 1, 2018.
Read more

Also Read:
● Case Against Hindutva Leaders Ignored, No Justice in Sight for Bhima Koregaon Violence Victims (The Wire / Sep 2020)
● Let’s Remember the Lesson of Bhima Koregaon: Down with the New Peshwai (Sanhati│ by Sudhir Dhawale │ March 2018)
● Why peoples’ coalitions are uniting against Hindutva — the ‘new Peshwai’ (Dailyo.in │ by Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves │ Jan 30, 2018)

Free Elgar Parishad political prisoners, demands Maha CPI(M)

24/12/2022 Asha

The Siasat Daily / by IANS

CPI(M) Secretary Dr Uday Narkar said that the then Investigating Officer of Pune Police Ganesh More had made a deposition to the effect before Justice J. N. Patel Commission which probed the events.
Mumbai: Against the backdrop of the revelations that there was no connection between the Elgar Parishad held in Pune on December 31, 2017 and the caste violence that erupted in Bhima Koregaon on January 1, 2018, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) demanded the immediate release of those arrested in connection with the incidents, here on Saturday.
Read more

by CPI (M) @cpimspeak (Dec 14, 2022):
CPI(M) demands that all the Bhima Koregaon accused be immediately released from jail; NIA should not deny their bail applications and or discharge appeals; an expert, fair re-examination taking into account the forensic evidence available should be made in a timebound framework.

Click to enlarge posters

Also read:
● Cop: No Link Between Elgar Parishad and violence at Bhima Koregaon on Jan 1, 2018 (Rediff.com / Dec 22, 2022)

Bhima Koregaon – Before the Law

14/11/2022 Asha

Monthly Review / by Saroj Giri

In “Before the Law,” Franz Kafka portrays a countryman who can only be forever “before the law,” but never entering. “It is possible” to gain entry, says the doorkeeper, “but not at the moment.” The man gets old and is about to die—and only now does he understand that the gate was meant for him! “No one else could ever be admitted here, since this gate was made only for you. I am now going to shut it.“
… Bhima Koregaon is, in terms of its empirics, so loaded with historical memory and the legacy of caste oppression that the so-called progressive left would rather take cover in the past-erasing, rarefied realms of the futuristic non-world of the constitution and the rights and innate liberties it supposedly guarantees to all citizens. Before the law, any day!
Read more

Also read/watch:
● The Bhima Koregaon Arrests and the Resistance in India (Monthly Review / April 2022)
● Let’s Remember the Lesson of Bhima Koregaon: Down with the New Peshwai (Sanhati, by Sudhir Dhawale │ March 2018)

● Documentary: The battle of Bhima Koregaon – an unending journey

multiple Indian languages / en subtitles │ 50 min │ 2017

By pedestrian pictures

Direction and Camera – Somnath Waghmare
Editor – Deepu (Pradeep K P)

About the film
History speaks about great wars fought, brave warriors and clever kings and emperors. What history doesn’t do is justice to the wars, warriors and leaders of the oppressed. This documentary is about the 500 Mahar soldiers who offered to fight alongside their countrymen, against the colonisers. Rejected by the ruling class they joined forces with the colonisers and fought in the ‘Bhima Koregaon Battle’, defeating the Brahminical rule of the Peshwas. Just as history did, so do the media and ruling class today conveniently forget to acknowledge them. On the 1st of January, every year, 20 lakh (2 million) people gather at Bhima-Koregaon, Pune, Maharashtra to commemorate that battle. No national or local media covers the largest annual gathering in the region. The documentary captures the history of Bhima Koregaon and its relevance to contemporary Dalit issues and politics in the country. It tells the history of the Bahujans through the coverage of the events of this gathering.
Watch video

Police officer who probed case files affidavit before Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry

02/11/2022 Asha

The Indian Express / by Chandan Haygunde

Senior police officer Shivaji Pawar, who is currently the deputy director (administration) of Maharashtra Police Academy, Nashik, is likely to be called before the commission to record his evidence.
Senior police officer Shivaji Pawar, who had investigated the Elgaar Parishad case in Maharashtra, submitted his affidavit before the Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry on Monday, advocate Shishir Hiray, who represents the state, said.
Read more

Also read:
● Report links Pune cop to hacking bid on Bhima Koregaon accused (Hindustan Times / June 2022)
● Police Linked to Hacking Campaign to Frame Indian Activists (Wired.com / June 2022)
● As Bhima Koregaon case completes its fourth anniversary, State reprisal is writ large in its twists and turns (The Leaflet / June 2022)

Bhima Koregaon Commission of Inquiry seeks affidavit by officer who probed Elgaar case

15/07/2022 Asha

Koregaon Bhima panel seeks affidavit by officer who probed Elgaar case

17/07/2022

The Indian Express / by Chandan Haygunde

Pune City Police has claimed that the conclave was organised according to the strategy of the banned CPI-Maoist. According to police, speeches delivered at the conclave and previous campaigns for the event were among factors that caused the violence in Koregaon Bhima on January 1, 2018.
The Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry has directed the lawyer representing the Maharashtra government to file an affidavit by police officer Shivaji Pawar, who had investigated the Elgaar Parishad case when he was attached to Pune City Police.
Read more

Bhima Koregaon Hearings: IO Asked To File Affidavit

15/07/2022

Rediff.com / by Jyoti Punwani

ACP Shivaji Pawar has been asked to file his affidavit by August 15.
As the hearings in the Bhima Koregaon Commission of Inquiry near their end, the Elgar Parishad has started becoming the focus of the proceedings.
On Friday, the Commission ordered Assistant Commissioner of Police Shivaji Pawar, the investigating officer in the case in which the ‘Bhima Koregaon 16’ have been behind bars since 2018, to file an affidavit before the Commission.
Read more

Also read:
● Police Linked to Hacking Campaign to Frame Indian Activists (Wired.com / June 2022)
● As Bhima Koregaon case completes its fourth anniversary, State reprisal is writ large in its twists and turns (The Leaflet / June 2022)