Skip to main content
Sabrang
Sabrang
Communalism Caste

Dalit, Bahujans resist attempts to spread terror : Bhima Koregaon

Sushmita 01 Jan 2018
Sanghi goons roaming in motorcycles instigate community residing at Koregaon to throw stones on groups gathered near Bhima river commemorating 200th anniversary of Bhima Koregaon. 

 
People assembled to pay their respects to the martyrs of Bhima Koregaon in Koregaon, 30 kms away from Pune, were taken aback as they found themselves confronting a sudden stream of stones raining down on them from the nearby houses. 
 
Thousands of Dalits Bahujan women and children gather every year at Bhima koregaon to commemorate the valiant battle that a regiment of 500 Mahars fought against a strength of approximately 28,000 soldiers of the Peshwa Kingdom.   This was the first time in centuries of oppression and exploitation of the Peshwai and other castes that Mahars, a community among Dalits had waged an immaculate battle of emancipation against the Brahmanical seats of power. 
 
This year is special as it is the 200th anniversary of this battle. 


Today at around 12 pm as people were relaxing near the Bhima river after travel and walk till the Koregaon park, panic engripped them as the localities residing in the area suddenly started pelting big stones on them. 

 
The youth were not the ones to take it lying low and retorted back by pelting stones and waving blue flags in a symbolic gesture of resistance. The police were clearly outnumbered and ill prepared to deal with this situation which could've easily turned into a blood fest had the visitors, mostly Dalits been lesser in number. Because of the massive strength of the crowd, the community which is suspected to comprise of upper caste people couldn't carry on for a long time. Eye witnesses present at the spot said that as people were walking towards the Bhima river a couple of motorcycle waving saffron flags passed through the crowd and went towards the residents trying to instigate them against the Dalit community members. The local community residing in the area was said to comprise mostly of upper caste members. Infact a man driving a White Maruti Omni having press written on the back glass shouted out at the crowd, "All of you are Hijras"trying to imply that Dalits were cowards. And trying to use the term as an insult to the people present.
 
Some others present at the spot said this was bound to happen as a few days back a person belonging to "Neechi jaati" was threatened in this area. This couldn't be confirmed. Another woman who had come to pay her respects at Bhima Koregaon said that the glasses of her car were broken by the stone pelting.
 
The people  at the spot were angry and upset and kept throwing stones on a saffron flag that was raised on one of the houses.
 
The police tried to dissipate the crowd but people stayed and kept chanting Jai Bhim as a symbol of protest.
 
 

Dalit, Bahujans resist attempts to spread terror : Bhima Koregaon

Sanghi goons roaming in motorcycles instigate community residing at Koregaon to throw stones on groups gathered near Bhima river commemorating 200th anniversary of Bhima Koregaon. 

 
People assembled to pay their respects to the martyrs of Bhima Koregaon in Koregaon, 30 kms away from Pune, were taken aback as they found themselves confronting a sudden stream of stones raining down on them from the nearby houses. 
 
Thousands of Dalits Bahujan women and children gather every year at Bhima koregaon to commemorate the valiant battle that a regiment of 500 Mahars fought against a strength of approximately 28,000 soldiers of the Peshwa Kingdom.   This was the first time in centuries of oppression and exploitation of the Peshwai and other castes that Mahars, a community among Dalits had waged an immaculate battle of emancipation against the Brahmanical seats of power. 
 
This year is special as it is the 200th anniversary of this battle. 


Today at around 12 pm as people were relaxing near the Bhima river after travel and walk till the Koregaon park, panic engripped them as the localities residing in the area suddenly started pelting big stones on them. 

 
The youth were not the ones to take it lying low and retorted back by pelting stones and waving blue flags in a symbolic gesture of resistance. The police were clearly outnumbered and ill prepared to deal with this situation which could've easily turned into a blood fest had the visitors, mostly Dalits been lesser in number. Because of the massive strength of the crowd, the community which is suspected to comprise of upper caste people couldn't carry on for a long time. Eye witnesses present at the spot said that as people were walking towards the Bhima river a couple of motorcycle waving saffron flags passed through the crowd and went towards the residents trying to instigate them against the Dalit community members. The local community residing in the area was said to comprise mostly of upper caste members. Infact a man driving a White Maruti Omni having press written on the back glass shouted out at the crowd, "All of you are Hijras"trying to imply that Dalits were cowards. And trying to use the term as an insult to the people present.
 
Some others present at the spot said this was bound to happen as a few days back a person belonging to "Neechi jaati" was threatened in this area. This couldn't be confirmed. Another woman who had come to pay her respects at Bhima Koregaon said that the glasses of her car were broken by the stone pelting.
 
The people  at the spot were angry and upset and kept throwing stones on a saffron flag that was raised on one of the houses.
 
The police tried to dissipate the crowd but people stayed and kept chanting Jai Bhim as a symbol of protest.
 
 

Related Articles

Sunday

03

Jan

Pan-India

Saturday

05

Dec

05 pm onwards

Rise in Rage!

North Gate, JNU campus

Thursday

26

Nov

10 am onwards

Delhi Chalo

Pan India

Theme

Stop Hate

Hate and Harmony in 2021

A recap of all that transpired across India in terms of hate speech and even outright hate crimes, as well as the persecution of those who dared to speak up against hate. This disturbing harvest of hate should now push us to do more to forge harmony.
Taliban 2021

Taliban in Afghanistan: A look back

Communalism Combat had taken a deep dive into the lives of people of Afghanistan under the Taliban regime. Here we reproduce some of our archives documenting the plight of hapless Afghanis, especially women, who suffered the most under the hardline regime.
2020

Milestones 2020

In the year devastated by the Covid 19 Pandemic, India witnessed apathy against some of its most marginalised people and vilification of dissenters by powerful state and non state actors. As 2020 draws to a close, and hundreds of thousands of Indian farmers continue their protest in the bitter North Indian cold. Read how Indians resisted all attempts to snatch away fundamental and constitutional freedoms.
Migrant Diaries

Migrant Diaries

The 2020 COVID pandemic brought to fore the dismal lives that our migrant workers lead. Read these heartbreaking stories of how they lived before the pandemic, how the lockdown changed their lives and what they’re doing now.

Campaigns

Sunday

03

Jan

Pan-India

Saturday

05

Dec

05 pm onwards

Rise in Rage!

North Gate, JNU campus

Thursday

26

Nov

10 am onwards

Delhi Chalo

Pan India

Videos

Communalism

Bastar violence: Anti-Christian Campaign causes breach in Adivasi unity

Hundreds of Adivasi church-goers across villages in Narayanpur and Bastar, Chhattisgarh have been experiencing boycott, intimidation and violence since December last year, forcing them to leave their homes and live in refugee camps. Reportedly, Adivasi districts across Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh is seeing a rise Hindutva mobilisation against Christians .

Communalism

Bastar violence: Anti-Christian Campaign causes breach in Adivasi unity

Hundreds of Adivasi church-goers across villages in Narayanpur and Bastar, Chhattisgarh have been experiencing boycott, intimidation and violence since December last year, forcing them to leave their homes and live in refugee camps. Reportedly, Adivasi districts across Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh is seeing a rise Hindutva mobilisation against Christians .

IN FACT

Analysis

Stop Hate

Hate and Harmony in 2021

A recap of all that transpired across India in terms of hate speech and even outright hate crimes, as well as the persecution of those who dared to speak up against hate. This disturbing harvest of hate should now push us to do more to forge harmony.
Taliban 2021

Taliban in Afghanistan: A look back

Communalism Combat had taken a deep dive into the lives of people of Afghanistan under the Taliban regime. Here we reproduce some of our archives documenting the plight of hapless Afghanis, especially women, who suffered the most under the hardline regime.
2020

Milestones 2020

In the year devastated by the Covid 19 Pandemic, India witnessed apathy against some of its most marginalised people and vilification of dissenters by powerful state and non state actors. As 2020 draws to a close, and hundreds of thousands of Indian farmers continue their protest in the bitter North Indian cold. Read how Indians resisted all attempts to snatch away fundamental and constitutional freedoms.
Migrant Diaries

Migrant Diaries

The 2020 COVID pandemic brought to fore the dismal lives that our migrant workers lead. Read these heartbreaking stories of how they lived before the pandemic, how the lockdown changed their lives and what they’re doing now.

Archives