‘Hindutva Leaders Named in Bhima-Koregaon Violence Should be Tried Like Yakoob Memon’

Veteran Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar, the grandson of Bhimrao Ambedkar, made a demand that right-wing activists Milind Ekbote and Sambhaji Bhide – who are accused of inciting violence during celebrations of the Battle of Bhima-Koregaon on January 1 – should be arrested and tried like Yakub Memon. Memon was convicted and hanged till death for his involvement in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case.

Ekbote (56) and Bhide (85) have been slapped under sections of the Prevention of Atrocities Act. The two allegedly sparked the riots that engulfed the entire state, including Mumbai, by desecrating the memorial of Govind Gaikwad – a Dalit icon – at Wadhu village near Pune on December 29, 2017. Gaikwad is credited with performing Shivaji Maharaj’s son Sambhajiraje Bhosale’s funeral when nobody else would touch the body as it could have invited the Mughals’ wrath.

“The violence which erupted at Bhima Koregaon was premeditated. People were incited and were given weapons to carry out violence. Ekbote (who runs Samast Hindu Aghadi) and Bhide (who founded Shiv Pratishthan Hindustan) are the masterminds of these attacks. Three people lost their lives and many people suffered injuries. My question to the government is how come these accused are on the run? Why are they not behind bars? I appeal to the government that people who are responsible should be arrested under section 302 of IPC just like Yakub Memon,” Ambedkar – the president of the Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh – told Newsclick.

Asked to elaborate further, the former Member of Parliament who is also a lawyer said that the Supreme Court, while awarding death sentence to Memon, had said that Memon was not personally involved in carrying out the bomb blast. But he had lent infrastructural support to the attackers. “And therefore, the apex court said he (Memon) is as much guilty as those who carried out the blasts. Similarly, even if they (the two pro-Hindutva leaders) say they were not involved, they are guilty as per the SC judgement in the Memon’s case. And therefore, they should be arrested and face judicial proceedings like him,” he said.

The Hindutva agenda of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Ambedkar said, is under the “public scrutiny”. “But the agenda of these two individuals are not scrutinised. And since it is not scrutinised, they have become uncontrolled horses and are posing themselves as Hafiz Saeed (a Pakistani militant). There are several Hafiz Saeeds in making in different states of the country. When the government is unable to arrest them despite serious charges, it means that they are not Hafiz Saeed in making but they have become Hafiz Saeed,” he said.

Lakhs of people had gathered at Bhima-Koregaon in Pune district to mark the 200th anniversary of the battle that was fought between Peshwa and East India Company troops in 1818. This fight was against the prohibitions on people led by the Britishers during the Peshwa era and the British Army comprising Dalit Mahars had defeated the Peshwas. This year, around 250 associations decided to commemorate the event by organising a programme at Bhima-Koregaon.

“It was a simple event where people were supposed to come and pay tribute. Yet, the followers of Ekbote and Bhide – on the instructions of the religious fanatic duo – thrashed people who were visiting Bhima Koregaon. They burnt the vehicles, pelted stones which claimed one life."

"The government is maintaining criminal silence on the whole issue. Why are they not arresting the accused?” asked Ambedkar adding that their “organisations (the Samast Hindu Aghadi and the Shiv Pratishthan Hindustan) are inciting communal tension” and “we should expose this”.

“Such organisations want to spread hatred among communities and that is their agenda. I wonder if the state government needs violence or peace?”

“Our first demand,” he said, "is the people who provoked the violence at Bhima Koregaon should be prosecuted under Section 302 of the IPC and the government must revoke the Atrocity Act slapped against them,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ekbote has gone underground after the police reportedly tipped him off about a possible crackdown.

“My brother is innocent. He was getting anonymous death threats since January 1. So, the police told us to keep him away from Pune and from the public that is why you cannot meet him right now. When the police give us the green signal, we will bring him back and he will face the electronic and print media,” his elder Dr Gajanan Ekbote, who is a prominent surgeon in Pune, has been quoted by NDTV as saying.

According to him, the police has not questioned his brother or even begun any probe into the FIR. “There is no question of investigating him as he is innocent and being wrongly framed. In fact, we have shared evidence with the police and the ATS which reveals that the violence was caused by Naxal, Maoist groups,” he further said.

While Ekbote has been on the run after registration of the FIR against him, Sangli-based Bhide is roaming free. He, in fact, made a controversial statement on Friday while addressing a press conference. He said the law to prevent atrocities was giving some sections of the society the authority to murder others. He was also critical of the reservation demand by the Maratha community and the separate religion demand by the Lingayats.