dalits – Page 11 – free them all

Sudhir Dhawale – We´re lightiing up the candels for you, tonight

14/01/2021 Rani

By Release the Poet

Sudhir Dhawale, a Dalit activist, writer, journalist, and editor of a Marathi magazine called ‘Vidrohi’, was arrested by Pune police on 6 June 2018. He was arrested previously in 2011 for 40 months, for the same reason he has been arrested this time – purported links with the Maoists. Dhawale, previously an activist of the Republican Panthers Jaatiya Antachi Chalwal, was involved in planning and execution of the Elgar Parishad, where he tried to bring activists and leaders from across political spectrum together to speak out against the Hindutva fascist regime.
Today, he spends his birthday in the infamous Taloja Jail of Mumbai.
#ReleaseBK16
#ReleaseAllPoliticalPrisoners
#Release_the_Poet

Dalit group demands action against Sambhaji Bhide / Casting a Veil

11/01/2021 Rani

Dalit group demands action against Sambhaji Bhide

11/01/2021

The Indian Express / by Express News Service

One person was killed and several others left injured in the violence at Koregaon Bhima on January 1, 2018, when lakhs of Dalits, mainly from the Ambedkarite Mahar community, gathered at the Jaystambh in Perne village for the 200th commemoration of Battle of Koregaon Bhima.
Members of the Republican Yuva Morcha on Monday demanded action against Hindutva leader Sambhaji Bhide in the Koregaon Bhima violence case.
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Proposal to Chargesheet Hindutva Leaders in Bhima Koregaon Violence

02/01/2021

Gauri Lankesh News / by Savitha Ganesh

Hindutva leaders, Milind Ekbote and Sambhaji Bhide are named accused in the chargesheet.
The Maharashtra Government has received a proposal from the police to receive sanction for filing the official chargesheet relating to the violence that took place at Bhima Koregaon on January 1st, 2018. Hindutva leaders, Milind Ekbote and Sambhaji Bhide are named accused in the chargesheet. The decision to sanction the charge sheet is yet to be made.
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Govt gets proposal seeking sanction to file chargesheet in case accusing Hindutva leaders

02/01/2021

The Indian Express / by Express News Service

State government has received a proposal from the police seeking sanction for filing the chargesheet in the case related to Koregaon Bhima violence of January 1, 2018, in which Milind Ekbote and Sambhaji Bhide are named as accused.
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Casting a Veil

31/12/2020

The Caravan / by Pramod Mandade, Fridaus Soni

What we miss by ignoring Maratha caste politics in the Bhima Koregaon case
Three years ago on 1 January 2018, an annual gathering of largely Dalit visitors to the memorial of Bhima Koregaon, near Pune, was attacked by mobs led by Hindu-nationalist organisations. For several weeks, these organisations had been trying to rouse the area’s Maratha population against the Dalit Buddhist community. A day after the violence, Anita Sawale, an anti-caste activist who was present at the gathering, filed a first-information report identifying the mobs as followers of the Hindutva leaders Manohar Bhide – who calls himself Sambhaji Bhide – and Milind Ekbote.
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Stories of Dissent – The BK16

05/01/2021 Rani

By The London Story

Born in America, Sudha Bhardwaj is a human rights lawyer practising in the Chhattisgarh High Court. She renounced her American citizenship at the age of 18, in order to join the Indian civil liberties movement. Bhardwaj has lived in Chhattisgarh, a state with a large tribal population, for more than 29 years of her life. She has been helping tribals against the illegal acquisition of their land by the government and private companies.
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Organisers of the Elgaar Parishad say the event will be held on Jan 30 / COVID-19 Dampens Celebration

02/01/2021 Rani

Organisers of the Elgaar Parishad say the event will be held on January 30

02/01/2021

Frontline / by Anupama Katakam

After the Pune Police refused permission for the Elgaar Parishad this year, retired judge B.G. Kolse-Patil, who is one of the main organisers, said they would go ahead and hold the event. Until 2017, the Elgaar Parishad was an annual gathering of primarily Dalit rights activists in Pune. The event was not held for two years since then because of a relentless witch-hunt and subsequent arrest of activists who are reportedly connected to the event.
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COVID-19 Dampens Jan 1 Celebration at Bhima Koregaon, Few Hundreds Attend with Limited Passes

02/01/2021

Newsclick / by Varsha Torgalkar

The Pune Police had also closed all the roads going towards Bhima Koregoan, with only those with passes being allowed to proceed. However, many who had travelled from other cities complained that they were not aware of the concept of passes.
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Denied permission, ex-judge Kolse-Patil says he will hold ‘Elgaar Parishad’ on Jan 30

01/01/2021

The Hindu / by Shoumojit Banerjee

He accuses govt. of directing police to keep a watch on him.
With the Pune police denying permission to hold another ‘Elgaar Parishad’ on December 31, retired Bombay High Court judge B. G. Kolse-Patil — who was among the chief organisers of the original and controversial ‘Elgaar Parishad’ held in December 2017 — has announced his resolve to hold the event on January 30, 2021, on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s death anniversary.
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Denied December 31 nod, Elgaar Parishad organisers say will hold event on Jan 30

01/01/2021

The Indian Express / by Express News Service

Justice (retd) Kolse Patil said, “We will now hold it on January 30, at the Ganesh Kala Krida Manch in Pune. And if not there, we will hold it on the streets. If not allowed to do that, we will fill the jails.”
Organisers of Elgaar Parishad, who were denied permission by Pune City Police to hold the conference on December 31, have said they will hold it in Pune on January 30. They also said that if police deny permission for the conference again, they will hold the conference “on the streets”.
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Elgar Parishad organisers ask Sharad Pawar to ensure SIT probe

01/01/2021

Free Press Journal / by pti

Organizers of the Elgar Parishad demanded on Thursday that NCP chief Sharad Pawar should fulfil his `assurance’ of an SIT probe into the case related to the 2017 conclave.
The Pune district administration denied permission for the annual Elgar Parishad – which is held on December 31 – this year citing the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Police issue notices to 530 social media groups ahead of Bhima Koregaon anniversary

31/12/2020

Hindustan Times/ by Nadeem Inamdar

The Pune rural police have served notices to as many as 530 social media group administrators, warning them not to allow posts pertaining to inflammatory messages in the wake of January 1 anniversary of the battle of Bhima Koregaon.
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From Dec 30 to Jan 2, Ekbote, KKM members & Dalit activists barred from Pune district

30/12/2020 Rani

From Dec 30 to Jan 2, Ekbote, KKM members & Dalit activists among many barred from Pune district

30/12/2020

The Indian Express / by Express News Service

The order issued this year states that there is possibility that actions of these persons, if they come to Jaystambh area, “may provoke sentiments of the Dalit community and lead to disturbance in law and order”.
The Pune district administration has barred Hindutva activist Milind Ekbote, some Elgaar Parishad organisers, including Kabir Kala Manch (KKM) members, some Dalit activists and several other local residents from Koregaon Bhima area from entering or being present in the limits of the district for over three days around the 203rd anniversary of the Battle of Koregaon Bhima, which falls on January 1.
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People urged not to gather at Koregaon-Bhima war memorial

29/12/2020

Outlook / by pti

Ahead of the 203rd anniversary of the battle of Koregaon Bhima on January 1, the Pune district administration as well as several organizations haveappealed people not to congregate at the war memorial near Perne.
The appeal was made in view of the COVID-19 situation.
Members of the Bhima Koregaon Vijay Stambh Shauryadin Coordination Committee on Tuesday urged people to offer their tributes by staying at home instead of visiting the Jay Stambh (victory pillar).
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Sudhir Dhawale – Dalit leader remains in jail as government, court ‘wilfully’ disrespect previous judgments

29/12/2020 Maya

Counterview / by Surabhi Agarwal, Sandeep Pandey, Kushagra Kumar

Writer, poet, artist, perennial protestor and Dalit leader Sudhir Dhawale, arrested and jailed in mid-2018, remains incarcerated under charges of the controversial Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and assorted Indian Penal Codes. He has been accused of instigating violence at Bhima Koregaon event on January 1, 2018.
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Gadling in jail. Reason? As lawyer-activist he has been ‘unpleasant’ to India’s topcops

27/12/2020 Rani

Counterview / by Nilkantha Mandal, Sandeep Pandey, Kushagra Kumar

Surendra Gadling, now in jail in the Bhima-Koregoan violence case, is a human rights lawyer and Dalit rights activist based in Nagpur. He is known for taking up cases of extra-judicial killings, police excesses and atrocities against Dalits and Adivasis in Gadchiroli and Gondia districts of Maharashtra.
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The cost of voicing dissent: UAPA against G.N. Saibaba, Gautam Navlakha, Father Stan Swamy and others

26/12/2020

Countercurrents / by Kunal Pant

In 2016, a Supreme Court Judge asked the state of Maharashtra, “Do you want to extract a pound of flesh?” The statement was directed against the state for contesting the bail plea of Delhi University Professor G. N. Saibaba. Saibaba was arrested in 2014, a justification for which was to prevent him from committing what the police called “anti-national activities.”
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Bhima Koregaon anniversary: Govt urges Covid caution, plans for another Elgaar Parishad

22/12/2020 Rani

Bhima Koregaon anniversary: As govt urges Covid caution, plans for another Elgaar Parishad

22/12/2020

The Indian Express / by Chandan Haygunde

Why is the Bhima Koregaon anniversary significant, what are the plans to observe it this year, and what happened during its 200th anniversary in 2018, which saw the arrests of activists and intellectuals?
As yet another anniversary of the Battle of Bhima Koregaon approaches, the Maharashtra government has urged for low-key celebrations, citing the coronavirus pandemic.
However, preparations for the anniversary are on in full swing, with Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad announcing he will visit Jaystambh – the battle war memorial – and the group Bhima Koregaon Shaurya Din Prerna Abhiyaan saying they will organise another Elgaar Parishad this year.
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Pune meet discusses plan to hold another Elgaar Parishad event

22/12/2020

The Indian Express / by Chandan Haygunde

“We are now organising Elgaar Parishad at the Ganesh Kala Krida Manch. We have already booked the premises and process is on for seeking permission from the police for holding the conference,” said Justice (retd) B G Kolse Patil, a former High Court judge who was a key person at the meeting.
Activists and retired officers held a state-level meeting under the banner of ‘Bhima Koregaon Shaurya Din Prerna Abhiyaan’ in Pune to plan another ‘Elgaar Parishad’ event on December 31, ahead of the anniversary of the battle of Bhima Koregaon on January 1.
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COVID-19 in Maharashtra: Home Department urges people for a low key programmes at Bhima Koregaon

22/12/2020

The Free Press Journal / by Sanjay Jog

The Home Department, on Tuesday, appealed to the Ambedkarite Dalits not to gather in large numbers at the Bhima Koregaon war memorial to pay their respect at the Vijay Sthamb (victory pillar) on January 1 in view of the coronavirus pandemic. The department wants people to observe the day at low key on the lines of Ganapati, Navratri and Eid, amongst others. The programme should be symbolic.
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Why were Activists Like Anand Teltumbde Who Work For the Disadvantaged Jailed?

10/12/2020 Maya

The Leaflet / by Niharika Ravi

The Human Rights Watch has called the detention by the Indian government of civil rights and Dalit rights activist, Anand Teltumbde as “wrongful” and “politically motivated”.
“Indian authorities are using draconian counterterrorism laws against activists simply for criticizing the government or raising their voices against injustice. The authorities should immediately release Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha and the other activists wrongfully detained in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon case,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director of the Human Rights Watch.
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Caste, Gender And Other Such Issues Should Be Dealt With As Part of Class Struggle: Anand Teltumbde

06/12/2020 Rani

Countercurrents / by Vidya Bhushan Rawat

Anand Teltumbde in conversation with Vidya Bhushan Rawat.
Dr. Anand Teltumbde, now in jail, in a well-articulated, long conversation, published in countercurrents.org, on April 21, 2017, with Vidya Bhushan Rawat candidly discussed various aspects of Ambedkarite-left politics, how Ambedkar is being appropriated by the ruling classes, and he also suggested a way forward.
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