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Sedate, prayerful, low-key event marks 203rd Bhima Koregaon anniversary
Fifteen police checkpoints were put in place to prevent outsiders from entering Perne village
The 203rd Bhima Koregaon anniversary on January 1, 2021, was a low-affair key with the strictest of security mechanisms in place on either side of the Pune-Ahmednagar highway, leading to the site of the Bhima Koregaon memorial, in Perne village, near Pune.
Fifteen police checkpoints were put in place to prevent outsiders from entering Perne village.
District collector Rajesh Deshmukh had earlier issued a prohibitory order under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), 1973, between December 30, 2020 and 6 am, January 2, 2021.
With Covid-19 preventive measures already in place, the district administration had appealed to the Dalit community to take an online darshan of the victory pillar, instead of being physically present at the spot.
The anniversary celebrations at the “vijay stambh” in Perne, began with Buddhist monks in ceremonial robes chanting prayers.
At 6 am, the Mahar regiment presented a spot drill in the presence of Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, home minister Anil Deshmukh and minister for energy, Nitin Raut, who offered their tributes at the obelisk.
Prakash Ambedkar, president of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) also paid his tributes.
Volunteers of the Samata Sainik Dal put on a prayer dance in an open space in front of the stambh, in the presence of a large number of police personnel.
Prominent Buddhist and Dalit organisations across the country had appealed to community to refrain from venturing to attend the event, citing the Covid-19 threat as a deterrent.
Other Ambedkarite organisations also offered their respects at the venue based on slots offered by the rural police.
Samata Sainik Dal volunteer Shailesh Kamble said, “I am lucky to have got a police pass. The crowd was not much and social distancing was maintained during the event.”
The Bhima Koregaon Shaurya Din Prerna Abhiyaan, an umbrella organisation of Dalits and minorities, had organised the Elgar Parishad Conclave at Shaniwar wada in Pune on December 31, 2017.
On January 1, 2018, the 200th anniversary of the battle of Bhima Koregaon, turned violent leaving one person dead and several others injured.
Pune Police, in a subsequent chargesheet, stated that “inflammatory” speeches at the Dalit meet were among the key factors that triggered the violence. The Elgar Parishad case has since been taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Ten lakh people had attended the event last year.
The Koregaon Bhima development plan
“The Koregaon Bhima development plan will be taken into consideration by the state and necessary finance will be provided. Since I am the guardian minister of Pune District, I will ensure that adequate funds are given for the project. People are going to continuously come to the spot, permanently, and government must proactively provide space for parking and other facilities. The state government will give good compensation to the local landowners after acquiring their lands for the development project,” said deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar.
