Gujarat’s newly elected MlA and Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani and JNU student leader Umar Khalid found themselves at the centre stage on Thursday, as the Pune police registered an FIR against them for “inciting” enmity between different groups and the Mumbai police denied permission for a convention at which both the leaders were to speak.
Acting on a complaint by one Akshay Gautamrao Bhidkar, Pune’s Vikrambaug police registered a FIR against Mevani and Khalid under Sections 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race ... etc), 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) and 117 (abetting commission of an offence) for allegedly making inflammatory speeches at a public rally organised at Shanivarwada on Sunday last.
Talking to media persons in Pune, Additional Police Commissioner Ravindra Senagaokar said that the police would initiate action against Mevani and Khalid for their alleged inflammatory statements at the speeches at Sunday’s rally. “We have in our possession video and audio footage of the speeches made by the two leaders at the rally. Having registered a complaint filed by one Akshay Bhidkar against the inflammatory speeches made by Mevani and Khalid, we are examining the audio and video footages. We will take necessary action against the two leaders as per law”.
Bhidkar has, in his complaint, taken exception to a few “inflammatory” statements made by Mevani and Khalid at a Yalgar Parishad” organised at Pune’s Shanivarwada ahead of the 200th anniversary of the January 1, 1818, victory of British troops over Peshwa Bajirao II’s army at Koregaon Bhima.
In his complaint, Bhidkar objected to Mevani’s following remarks in the latter’s speech: “If we have to score a victory over new Pashwas then we have to take the 200-year-old Bhima Koregaon struggle forward. If we are to take the struggle forward or get inspired January 1, 1818 struggle, there should not be electoral politics in it.”
The other remarks by Mevani that the complainant has referred to in his complaint are: “But, all the same, I feel that some people who are part of this struggle should also be in the Assemblies of Maharashtra and Gujarat and also Parliament. But, if we are wage against castes, then we will have to take to streets to crusade for it. The dominance of one caste over the other can only be eliminated by battling it out on the streets”.
The remarks made by Khalid at the rally that Bhidkar has objected to, are: “We can convert the Bhima-Koregaon struggle into our future. It is time for us to retaliate against those who attacked Dalits (at Bhima-Koregaon). Waging the battle and winning it will be a real tribute martyrs who laid down their lives during the January 1, 1818 Bhima-Koregaon struggle”.
The complaint went on to add that “incited” by the speeches made by Mevani and Khalid, some anti-social elements hurled stones at the memorial set up Bhima Koregaon to celebrate the victory of the 200th anniversary of the the January 1, 1818, victory of British troops over Peshwa Bajirao II’s army at Koregaon Bhima on the occasion of its 200th anniversary and indulged in violence and arson on Monday last.
In a related development that took place in Mumbai, the police abruptly refused permission for a daylong student convention organised by leftist-oriented Chhatra Bharati at which Mevani and Khalid were to speak.
Aggrieved by the “sudden” cancellation of permission for their convention, the Chhatra Bharati members staged a noisy protest and raised anti-Government slogans in front of the Bhaidas Hall at Vile Parle, where their All India National Students Summit was to be organised.
Confirming the cancellation of permission, a Mumbai Police spokesperson said: “Yes. We have denied permission to the Chhatra Bharati’s All India National Students Summit convened at Bhidas Hall”.
Official sources attributed the denial of permission to the Chhatra Bharati summit in the wake of prohibitory orders imposed in Mumbai and other parts of the State ahead of “Maharashtra bandh” organised on Wednesday in which a student was killed, a few police personnel were injured and scores of buses were damaged.
Reacting to the cancellation of the permission for Chhatra Bharati’s Vice Sagar Bhalerao tweeted: “Had booked Bhaidas Hall for All India National Students’ Summit here, but now we are being denied entry. Reason police is citing is the news doing the rounds about Umar Khalid and Jignesh Mewani for the past few days”.
“Umar Khalid and Jignesh Mewani have been invited at this event here, this had been fixed earlier,” ANI tweeted quoting Bhalerao.