Pune: Bharip Bahujan Mahasangh leader Prakash Ambedkar on Wednesday said the state should now arrest Sambhaji Bhide alias Bhide Guruji, “the other key conspirator” behind the January 1 Koregaon Bhima violence.
Speaking to TOI over phone following the arrest of Hindutva leader Milind Ekbote, Ambedkar said, “Both, Ekbote and Bhide are the main conspirators behind the violence. Ideally, they should have been arrested earlier. We had to follow up the case with the government which finally resulted in the arrest of one conspirator. Now, we expect the government to arrest Bhide as well.”
Ambedkar said, “We will pursue Bhide’s case with the government. The two leaders not only terrorised people but also created a rift in society which is unacceptable in the current socio-political scenario. If required, we will take our protests to the streets till Bhide is arrested.”
At Koregaon Bhima and nearby villages like Vadhu Budruk, which houses the memorials of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj and Govind Gaikwad, the latter revered by Dalits. A section of villagers, too, voiced a similar reaction favouring Bhide’s arrest. A few days before the January 1 violence at Koregaon Bhima, the memorial of Gaikwad was damaged by some unknown persons and this had caused a rift between the two communities.
Vadhu Budruk resident Rajendra Gaikwad said, “The situation in the village is normal today. We preferred not to vitiate the atmosphere by going for needless celebration over today’s development. Bhide too should be arrested at the earliest.”
The village’s former sarpanch Praful Shivle said, “We are of the opinion that all the conspirators should be arrested and punished. Over the last few weeks, members of Dalit and Maratha communities have jointly participated in several social programmes.”
Some villagers demanded compensation for those who lost their businesses and property in the violence.
