The Bhima Koregaon violence and the spirited response to it from Dalits bring into focus the churning in their communities and their growing resistance to social and economic discrimination in an atmosphere of Hindutva dominance.
On the road from Pune to Ahmednagar in western Maharashtra stands an obelisk. The inscription proclaims that Captain Staunton’s force “accomplished one of the proudest triumphs of the British Army in the East”. It lists the names of the 49 soldiers of theEast IndiaCompany killed in the battle. To passers-by, it is just another relic from the past; for most of the year it stands like a lonely sentinel. But on January 1 every year the place comes alive and becomes a pilgrimage site of sorts. What seems a small piece of history of British rule in India is actually a place of inspiration for Dalits.
Ever since Dr B.R. Ambedkar visited the Bhima Koregaon memorial on January 1, 1927, it has been a tradition for Dalits to gather at the spot on the first day of the New Year. The day marks an important date in Dalit history because it was when the British East India Company’s soldiers defeated the army of Peshwa Bajirao II in the battle of Koregaon on January 1, 1818. Among the fighting units was a battalion of the Bombay Native Infantry, which consisted of about 500 Mahar soldiers. For them and future generations of Dalits, the victory was not just a military one but a victory over centuries of caste repression by the Peshwas. For them, visiting the site is like a pilgrimage, an assertion of pride for the community. Prakash Ambedkar of the Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh party, grandson of Dr Ambedkar, said Dalits were not concerned with the victory of the British and has termed the battle of Bhima Koregaon “a social liberation movement from caste prejudice”.
This story is from the February 2, 2018 edition of FRONTLINE.
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This story is from the February 2, 2018 edition of FRONTLINE.
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