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‘Outsiders’ triggered Bhima Koregaon unrest, says Sharad Pawar in Solapur
Pawar, while speaking on the sidelines of a programme at Akluj town in Solapur district, said it was the responsibility of the government to probe who these outsiders involved in the violence were.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar, on Sunday, blamed ‘outsiders’ for the violence that ensued at Bhima-Koregaon on January 1 where thousands had gathered to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the battle between the British and Peshwas.
Pawar, while speaking on the sidelines of a programme at Akluj town in Solapur district, said it was the responsibility of the government to probe who these outsiders involved in the violence were.
“Both sides, including followers of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and local villagers, have blamed outsiders for the violence. It is now up to the government to probe who these outsiders were,” said Pawar.
The NCP president also added that the atmosphere which led to the violence was not created in a day at Bhima-Koregaon . “It must have been brewing for two to three months before the incident happened,” he said. Earlier, Pawar had blamed Hindutva forces’ for the violence.
One person died while four others were injured during the clashes at Bhima-Koregaon recently, which also led to around 40 vehicles being burnt. The immediate spark for the violence flare-up, according to police sources, was the contentious board at the ‘samadhi’ (memorial) of Govind Mahar Gaikwad.
On December 29, a contentious board was found put up near a structure believed to be the tomb of Govind Gopal Mahar in Vadhu Budruk village.
The board said that Mahars had defied the orders of Mughal king Aurangzeb and performed the last rites of Maratha king Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj after he was killed by Aurangzeb in 1689. Mahar is a Dalit community. Local villagers, who believed that it was their ancestors who had performed the last rites of Sambhaji Maharaj, tried to remove the board, leading to dispute, which resulted in a police case. This case against 49 people is believed to be what triggered the violence at Bhima-Koregaon and its surrounding villages on January 1.
