After the Bhima Koregaon violence yesterday in Pune, Dalit outfits have called for a bandh in Maharashtra. Yesterday’s violence stirred up a lot of hate between the Dalits and right wing Hindu organizations.
The right wing groups detested the Dalits for celebrating the anniversary of the 1818 Battle of Koregaon. The Dalits annually take a trek to mark the day the Britishers defeated the Peshwas with the help of their ancestors. The extreme group protests the fact that the Britisher’s victory is being celebrated. The two groups clashed resulting in one person losing his life.
Now, the Dalits have taken to the streets in Maharashtra today to protest the violence against them. In Mumbai, officials have tightened security after violence broke out in Chembur and Thane yesterday.
Although schools are functioning today, the School Bus Owners’ Association (SBOA) decided to not run its fleet of 40,000 buses. The President of SBOA Anil Garg explained, “For security reasons, we have decided not to ply our buses in the first shift today. If the situation remains peaceful, we will run the buses in the second shift.”
He further added, “How can we take the risk? In the morning too, six buses were stoned in Chembur area of Mumbai. We will take a call at 11 A.M., for the second shift. We have to think about the safety of children and cabs and autos too are not working as usual in Mumbai.”
The Dalit organization will target the BJP led Government in the State and its failure to protect the citizens. The Mumbai Traffic Police will take up precautionary measures to ensure the traffic is not affected by the bandh. A police officer said, “All traffic personnel will be on their toes to ensure smooth flow of traffic, especially on the Eastern Express Highway.”
At railway stations in Thane a few protests broke out but the RPF and GRP intervened and stopped the ruckus. The Central Railway informed that railway services were running smoothly for now. The Government also imposed Section 144 in Thane till January 4th midnight. Section 144 prohibits a gathering of more than four people. This is done to avoid any violence erupting in the city.
