A full-fledged confrontation appears to be brewing between the Dalit leaders and the State administration ahead of a victory rally of Dalits at Bhima-Koregaon on Tuesday, with the police refusing to grant permission to Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad to hold a rally in Pune.
Azad, who had on Saturday evening been detained near the Dadar-Chaityabhoomi along with other Dalit activists ahead of a proposed rally in the metropolis, was released from detention on Sunday with a clear condition that he would not be allowed to address in Pune, a day before the Dalits’ victory rally at Bhima-Koregaon.
However, Azad headed to Pune from Mumbai with a vow to visit Bhima-Koregaon where more than two lakh Dalits would celebrate the 201st anniversary of the the January 1, 1818 victory of British troops over Peshwa Bajirao II's army on Tuesday.
In an effort to ensure against a repeat of the disturbances witnessed at Bhima-Koregaon last year, the Pune district administration has made elaborate security arrangements in the eight kilometre radius of the village to maintain law and order during the victory rally scheduled for Tuesday.
It may be recalled that that during the caste riots that broke out on January 1, 2018 -- the 201st anniversary of the the January 1, 1818 victory of British troops over Peshwa Bajirao II's army. One person was killed and property worth Rs 9.54 crore was destroyed at Bhima-Koregaon in Pune district. After the riots, there were protests and violence across the state.
After the caste riots, the police had arrested 1o human rights activists for allegedly conspiring to kill Prime Minister Narendra Modi and overthrow the democratically elected Government in the country. They have been booked for their alleged links with the banned CPI (Maoists). In addition, five absconding Maoist leaders have also been made accused in the case.
As part of the security arrangements, the Pune district administration has deployed 11 drones in the eight kilometre radius of the village to maintain vigilance on the goings at the Dalit victory rally to be held on Tuesday.
According to Pune District Collector Naval Kishor Ram, there was considerable apprehension among the people of Bhima-Koregaon village in the light of what happened last year. “After the disturbances last year, we have held monthly meetings with the villagers in an effort to remove their anxiety and build confidence in them. We have succeeded in removing fear from their minds. We have involved in the preparations for this year’s celebrations for which people come from different parts of the State,” the collector said.
“Keeping in view the huge turnout people for the celebrations scheduled for Tuesday next, we will sending water to the village in 300 tankers, deploying 150 buses to ferry people to the village and making parking arrangements at 15 places. This year, the police deployment will 15 times more than the number of police personnel we had deployed last year,” the collector added.
