Members of the Kabir Kala Manch (KKM), a Dalit group and working-class cultural troupe, said on Wednesday they were being made “scapegoats” for the January 1 clashes at Bhima-Koregaon, which led to the death of one person.
Earlier this week, Vishrambaug Wada police booked six KKM members for allegedly making provocative speeches and presentations that promoted enmity between two groups at Elgaar Parishad held at Shaniwarwada Fort on December 31 as part of the bicentenary celebrations of the Bhima-Koregaon battle.
KKM members said they were being made scapegoats to divert attention from the real perpetrators of the clashes. Jyoti Jagtap, who has been named in the FIR, said, “This is a clear conspiracy against us as we are soft targets for the government and the police machinery.
“ In the past, we were accused of promoting Maoist-Naxalite ideology and were hounded by the Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad. In such an explosive scenario [Bhima-Koregaon violence], the KKM becomes a natural target for those looking to divert attention from the real instigators.”
Ms. Jagtap said Hindutva leader Milind Ekbote had protested against the permission granted to the KKM to perform at Elgaar Parishad. She said, “Ekbote’s efforts to prevent the parishad were futile. His ploy to stoke tensions between Dalits and Marathas on January 1 backfired. The Maharashtra bandh on January 3 proved people were against him. In retaliation, we are being targeted by Hindutva forces.”
Sudhir Dhavale, Deepak Dhengle, Sagar Gorkhe, Harshali Potdar and Ramesh Gaychor are the other KKM members named in the FIR filed on January 8.
Meanwhile, the Pune Rural Police arrested eight more persons in connection with the Bhima-Koregaon violence on Wednesday, taking the number of those arrested to 51.
