Huge turnout at 205th anniversary of battle of Koregaon Bhima

Later, the British had appointed their soldier Kandojibin Gajoji Jamadar (Malvadkar), who was injured in the battle, as in-charge of the ‘Jaystambh’ on December 13, 1824.

As per a Dalit narrative, a British Army comprising 500 soldiers from the Mahar community defeated a 25,000-strong force of upper caste Peshwas in the battle of Koregaon Bhima. Hundreds of thousands of people, mainly from the Ambedkarite Mahar community, visited the Jaystambh on Sunday to pay tribute to the soldiers, who they believe, fought a war against the alleged casteism of the Peshwas.

‘Jaystambh’ is a ‘military monument’ erected by the British government in 1821 in memory of its soldiers, who fought against the Peshwas during the Maratha rule at Koregaon Bhima on January 1, 1818. (Express photo by Pavan Khengre)

However, descendants of Jamadar from the Maratha community say that both British and Peshwa forces that fought the battle of Koregaon Bhima consisted of soldiers from different castes. So they maintain that going by contemporary historical records, the ‘Jaystambh’ cannot be linked to any particular caste or religion.

Meanwhile, VBA chief Prakash Ambedkar, grandson of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athavale, former MP Jogendra Kavade, Dalit leader Anandraj Ambedkar and many other Ambedkarites visited the Jaystambh on Sunday. Also, Shiv Sena leader (UBT) Sushma Andhare and NCP’s Jitendra Awhad visited the military monument.

After paying tributes, Athavale said, “Lakhs of followers visit this place every year to mark the battle anniversary. It is important to preserve this heritage. Expansion of the campus of this memorial is now needed and for that acquisition of additional 100 acres of land is required. We are making efforts in this direction. A preliminary plan for expansion has been prepared and the Social Welfare Ministry has contributed to it. I will soon be meeting Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in this regard.”

NCP president Sharad Pawar said in a tweet said, “The Battle of Koregaon Bhima is historically significant because it was a fight against untouchability and for self-identity and right to equality. On this occasion of Koregaon Bhima Shaurya Din, I pay my respects to martyrs who fought with their life in the battle for self-respect.”

It may be recalled that violence had broken out in the Koregaon Bhima area, leading to the death of a youth on January 1, 2018, which was the 200th anniversary of the battle. To prevent any law and order situation, the police had made heavy security arrangements with deployment of nearly 5,000 policemen around Jaystambh and surrounding villages.

District Collector Dr Rajesh Deshmukh said, “The Koregaon Bhima battle anniversary event was peaceful. Huge inflow of people started from around 6 am to pay respects at Jaystambh. And even around 6 pm in the evening, equally large inflow continued. With all the system and response mechanisms in place, we were able to make sure that the event was conducted smoothly and peacefully.”

Pune City Police Commissioner Retesh Kumaarr said, “The event was held in a peaceful manner and there was good coordination between police and administration. We had conducted two dress rehearsals of the deployment for the event which helped various stakeholders in performing their tasks.”

Vadhu Budruk remains peaceful

Pune: The situation remained peaceful at the historic Vadhu Budruk village, located nearly four kilometres from Koregaon Bhima. Vadhu Budruk is known for the samadhi of legendary king Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. It also has a disputed tomb-like structure, which, according to the Dalit Mahar community, is the samadhi of Govind Gopal Dhegoji Meghoji, a 17th-century Dalit figure. Many people going to Jaystambh also visit Govind Gopal samadhi on January 1.

Marathas from Vadhu Budruk village believe it was their ancestors, the Shivale Deshmukhs, who defied the orders of Aurangzeb and performed the last rites of Sambhaji Maharaj after he was killed by the Mughal emperor in 1689. The Dalit Mahar community, however, claims that Govind Gopal performed the last rites of the king. The Gaikwad family from the village claim to be successors of Govind Gopal.

A board with the ‘disputed history’ of Govind Gopal was erected by the Gaikwad family in Vadhu Budruk on the intervening night of December 28 and 29, 2017, and was removed by members of the Maratha community. This led to an altercation, which was seen as one of the triggering factors that led to the Koregaon Bhima violence on January 1, 2018.

Since then Vadhu Budruk is seen as a highly sensitive location. And to prevent any law and order problems on January 1, huge police force was deployed in the village. —ENS