Mumbai : Bhima Koregaon clashes spread to Mumbai, rasta roko and stone pelting ensues at Chembur . Photo by BL SONI The committee said the original FIR registered against the activists under the usual sections of the IPC was turned into a conspiracy case instead of punishing those behind the physical attacks on attending the Bhima-Koregaon Shaurya Din Prerna Abhiyan celebrations.
New Delhi: The Hyderabad-based Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee has condemned imposition of the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) on the activists like Prof. Shoma Sen, Head of English Department of Nagpur University, Advocate Surendra Gadling Mumbai-based Vidrohi editor Sudhir Dhawle, Rona Wilson and Mahesh Rau of Delhi.
It said the BJP govt is trying to instill fear through such act for long detention and difficulty to obtain bail instead of arresting the leaders of the RSS and its frontier organisation like Sambhaji Bhide and Milind Ekbote for instigating violence on Jan 1 at Bhima-Koregaon to suppress Dalits celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Bhima-Koregaon victory in vanquishing the Peshwa rule. The committee said the original FIR registered against the activists under the usual sections of the IPC was turned into a conspiracy case instead of punishing those behind the physical attacks on those attending the celebrations organised by the Bhima-Koregaon Shaurya Din Prerna Abhiyan. It pointed out the Abhiyan is a coalition of the mass organisations under the chairmanship of retired Supreme Court judge Justice P B Sawant.
It said the mass meeting organised by the Abhiyan on December 31 was attended by thousands from across Maharashtra. They were, however, attacked while returning home next day by a mob carrying saffron flags and instigated by Bhide and Ekbote, two right wing activists closely connected with the ruling BJP. It was clearly a high-level pre-planned conspiracy against the Dalits, it said.
The committee accused the govt of using the fascist tactics to suppress Dalit movement and even influence the judicial inquiry it was forced to order fear in the minds of people to depose on their suffering from Hindutva elements. The arrests under UAPA are seen by the committee as a clear message to Dalits and other oppressed communities not to challenge the Hindutva state as the criminals of terror are under the protection of the State.