Retired judges B.G. Kolse-Patil and P.B. Sawant, who were among the organisers of the controversial Elgaar Parishad in December 31 2017, are to hold another public event titled the Yuva Jaagar Parishad on January 12.
The event will be held on the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda and Jijamata (Chattrapati Shivaji’s mother) and will deliberate upon issues and problems facing the country today.
However, Pune civic authorities and the city police have denied permission to both organisers to hold their proposed event at the Shaniwarwada Fort, the venue for the Elgaar Parishad.
Justice Kolse-Patil told The Hindu that he had moved the Bombay High Court seeking permission for the Yuva Jaagar Parishad. The court had not yet given them a hearing. The venue has been shifted to the Rashtra Seva Dal (RSD) premises.
“We have named our conference ‘Yuva Jaagar Parishad’ to emphasize the connect of the youth with Swami Vivekananda…we have been compelled to shift to private premises [of the RSD] as the authorities have not granted us permission to hold our event at the Shaniwarwada Fort. The RSD has graciously granted us place to hold our event,” said Justice (retd.) B.G. Kolse-Patil.
While no concrete reason has been given to the organisers for refusing their preferred venue, the police is anxious to prevent a rerun of the Elgaar Parishad which was held to commemorate the bicentenary of the 1818 battle of Bhima-Koregaon.
About a dozen social outfits like the Sambhaji Brigade, the Surajya Sena, and the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti, among others, are expected to participate. Missing from the list is Kabir Kala Manch (KKM), a radical Dalit troupe.