Congress party president, Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday held BJP and RSS responsible for the recent violent protests during the 200th-anniversary event of the Bhima Koregaon battle in Pune.
Congress party president, Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday held BJP and RSS responsible for the recent violent protests during the 200th-anniversary event of the Bhima Koregaon battle in Pune.
Rahul took to Twitter to say that both BJP and RSS have always wanted the Dalits to remain at the bottom of the Indian society and that the recent Bhima-Koregaon protest is symbol of resistance.
The event to mark 200th anniversary of the Bhima Koregaon battle in Pune district, in which forces of the East India Company defeated Peshwa's army, was marred by incidents of violence on Monday, with at least one person getting 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.
Incidents of stone-pelting and vandalism occurred at Bhima Koregaon in Shiroor tehsil on Monday afternoon when people were heading for the war memorial in the village, police said.
A man died in the violence, a top police official told PTI late in the evening. However, his identity and how exactly he died was not known yet, the officer said.
The violence erupted after a local group and some members of the crowd on its way to the memorial had an argument over some issue.
Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) leader Prakash Ambedkar has called for Maharashtra bandh tomorrow to protest the state government's "failure" to stop the violence at Bhima Koregaon village in Pune district yesterday.
Ambedkar alleged that Hindu Ekta Aghadi was responsible for the violence.
He said Maharashtra Democratic Front, Maharashtra Left Front, besides 250 organisations, have supported tomorrow's shutdown.
Ambedkar, the grandson of Dalit icon B R Ambedkar, has appealed for peace during the bandh period.
Referring to the caste clashes in Bhima Koregaon, Ambedkar ruled out any conflict between Marathas and Dalits.
(With PTI inputs)