Bhima Koregaon violence: Meet the duo who allegedly instigated the violence in Pune and Mumbai

In the midst of rioting in Pune and then in Mumbai, a report in Mumbai Mirror highlights how two individuals - Sambhaji Bhide and Milind Ekbote – desecrated the Samadhi of a Mahar named Govind Gaikwad on December 29. Gaikwad is credited with performing Chhattrapati Shivaji’s son Sambhajiraje Bhosale’s funeral when nobody else would touch the body, fearing Mughal wrath.

Both Bhide and Ekbote believe that Gaikwad’s story is British propaganda, and are of the belief that Sambhajiraje Bhosale’s funeral was conducted by Marathas.

The Samadhi is located in a village called Wadhu located near Bhima Koregaon, where tensions sparked after communities clashed on January 1.  

The event to mark 200th anniversary of the Bhima-Koregaon battle, in which forces of the East India Company defeated Peshwa's army, was marred by incidents of violence, in which one person was killed.

Dalit leaders commemorate the British victory, as it is believed that soldiers from the Mahar community -- then considered untouchable -- were part of the East India Company's forces.

However, some right-wing groups in Pune had expressed opposition to celebration of the British victory.

Earlier, police registered cases against Ekbote and Bhide for allegedly inciting the violence at Bhima Koregaon. A case under SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and other sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered against Ekbote and Bhide at Pimpri police station.

Along with Atrocities Act, police have registered cases against duo under section 307 for attempting murder, section 147 and 148 for rioting and also under arms act. The case was registered on Tuesday after a woman, identified as Anita Sawale, approached the police with a complaint application against Bhide and Ekbote.

Ekbote and Bhide head the Hindu Ekta Aghadi and Shivraj Pratishthan respectively. The two organisations had opposed the celebration of "British victory" in the battle.

A riot like situation prevailed following an altercation where one person was killed. Lakhs of people had gathered at Bhima Koregaon to commemorate the 200 years of battle between Peshwas and Soldiers of East India Company consisting soldiers largely from Dalit community.

Earlier in the day, Dalit activist and newly elected MLA from Gujarat Jignesh Mevani and others visited the memorial at Bhima Koregaon. He was in the city to participate in a conference organised on the occasion of 200 years of the battle at Bhima Koregaon which is considered as a symbolic victory of Dalit community.

While Mevani left the site, lakhs of people kept gathering at the venue. According to police, while the people in groups were gathering at Bhima Koregaon, a small group from another community carried out a rally in a nearby village. That group had some altercations with the other group which was visiting the memorial and soon the situation turned violent.  According to police, the crowd suddenly became violent and they started pelting stones on vehicles and houses. "The crowd started beating some of the villagers. Some of the houses in the villages were also damaged," a police officer said.

Parts of Mumbai, especially eastern suburbs, saw minor shutdowns after Dalits protested violence against them in Pune by upper-caste Hindus.

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Protesters began pouring in Chembur early morning and disrupted road and rail traffic demanding action against people who violated law and order in Bhima Koregaon on Monday January 1, 2018.

The incident led to traffic snarls in various parts of the city and Harbour Line services, after being stopped for a while, were restored at 4:40PM.

Political reactions poured in with Maha CM Devendra Fadnavis saying: “Around three lakh people had gathered (for the battle anniversary celebrations). Some people tried to create a serious scene. But six companies (of security personnel) were posted. Police promptly controlled the situation and averted a major problem. Strict action will be taken against those who use social media to spread rumours.”