Arundhati Roy among others to attend Elgar Parishad on January 30

PUNE The Bhima Koregaon Shauryadin Prerna Abhiyaan’s second edition of the Elgar Parishad on January 30, will be addressed by intellectuals from the liberal background who will speak on the fight against economic, social and cultural policies of the central government. Thus states a pamphlet released by the organisation ahead of the conference on Wednesday.

The Abhiyaan, an umbrella body of 56 organisations will hold the conclave at the Ganesh Kala Krida Manch, after they were granted permission to conduct the event by the Pune police.Earlier, the conference was scheduled to be held on December 31, 2020, but was postponed after the police denied permission.

Booker prize winner and outspoken critic Arundhati Roy; and former IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan, will be the main speakers at the event.

Other speakers include former high court judge BG Kolse Patil; jailed JNU student leader Umar Khalid’s father - SQR Iliyas; former Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) leader Sharjeel Usmani, documentary filmmaker Randeep Madhuke, Ladeeda Farzana ( Sakhaloon ) and Ayesha Ayesha Renna N , all faces of the Jamia Millia protest against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in New Delhi; activist Satyabhama Suryavanshi; incarcerated IPS officer Sanjeev Bhat’s wife Shweta and daughter Akashi; journalist Prashant Kanojia and Abeeda Tadvi, mother of student Dr Payal Tadvi who committed suicide in Mumbai following harassment by senior doctors in 2019. Similarly, revolutionary songs will be sung by Bant Singh (Punjab), Pariah (Tamil Nadu), Samta Kala Manch and Kabir Kala Manch.

Justice (retd) BG Kolse Patil said, “We will continue our fight against the oppressive and repressive policies of the central government which is curbing freedom of speech. The Elgar conference has been defamed by right wing forces who don’t want equality to prevail amongst all sections of society. The country requires a new politics which guarantees socio-economic empowerment of the countrymen. Earlier, permission was declined to conduct the conclave at Shaniwarwada. The police have given permission for only 200 persons as a condition for holding the conference. We have shown the police videos of different public meets which were jam packed and told the home minister about it. We will ensure there is maximum attendance for this meet which espouses the secular values of the country,” he said.

The Elgar conference was first held on December 31, 2017, ahead of the 200th anniversary of the battle of Bhima Koregaon, which was observed on January 1, 2018.