Report

of the Coordination Committee of Bhima Koregaon

Date. 20.01.2018
To,
Respected Police Superintendent
Kolhapur Division
Subject: About the attack that occurred in Bhima Koregaon on 1 January

Dear Sir,
According to the decision taken during the meeting of all Ambedkarite workers to
convene a committee to help you with your investigative mechanism, we, the
committee members, wish to present to you the direct and indirect evidences
related to that incident.
1. In the battle between the Peshwas and the British (Mahars) that took place on
the banks of the Bhima Koregaon River in the Perne Gram Panchayat in 1818, the
Mahar soldiers emerged victorious. As a symbol of this victory, a victory pillar
[called the Vijay Stambh] was constructed here in 1822. While paying respects to
this victory memorial on 1 January each year, lakhs of people come here. This
year marks the completion of 200 years and lakhs of Ambedkarites had gathered
to pay respects to this victory memorial from all over the country. Since the past
20 to 25 years, in a village called Vadhu near Bhima Koregaon, there is a
memorial to Sambhaji Maharaj. The historian VC Bendre has written about this
memorial in a novel about Sambhaji Maharaj. In it, after Aurangzeb murdered
Sambhaji Maharaj, a person named Govind Gaikwad collected all the parts of his
body. Gaikwad, with his relatives in tow, cremated Sambhaji Maharaj’s body at
Mahar Wada. The same historical evidence has been presented by various
historianssuch as Vishwas Patil and Sharad Patil and subsequently by the
Sambhaji brigade. Based on this history, many Ambedkarites gather at Bhima
Koregaon on 1 January to pay respects to the Vijay Stambh. They also go to
Vadhu—[a village in Pune]—to visit the samadhi [final resting places] of Sambhaji
Maharaj and Govind Gaikwad. But Milind Ekbote constituted a committee, which
has overseen Sambhaji Maharaj’s memorial for the past 15 years. Through Milind
Ekbote and Sambhaji Bhide, the history of the cremation of Sambhaji Maharaj
has been altered. They are trying to replace it with the Hindutva ideology instead
and create feelings of hatred towards the Scheduled Castes. As one proof of this,
there was a sign board at the location of the samadhi, which stated that Govind
Gaikwad had taken care of Sambhaji Maharaj. This board was there already this
board has been removed and another board has been placed there. And at the
location of Sambhaji


 Maharaj’s samadhi, Hedgewar’s photo has been put up there. Actually speaking,
there is no reason for putting up Hedgewar’s photo. But this was deliberately
initiated. Thus, under the inspiration of Manuvadi perspective, bitterness was
created between Savarnas and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Had the
administration and the police taken timely measures, this major accident would
not have occurred today.
2. Last year, on 1 January 2017, Sambhaji Maharaj’s samadhi was locked and
Ambedkarites were restrained from entering the site. In response, the local
police took over the site, unlocked it and opened it to visitors. This was the
second incident that caused a rift between the Savarnas and the Scheduled
Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
3. On 26 December, the district chief of Shiv Sena, Ram Gavade, and Anil Kashid
published pamphlets opposing the Vijay Stambh and headed to Delhi.
4. On 27 December, Milind Ekbote called a press conference at the Pune Municipal
Corporation and opposed the Elgar Parishad that was held in Shaniwar Wada. He
also stated that the valorous story of Bhima Koregaon and of Vadhu village is
incorrect. Five to six reporters who were present at the press conference have
stated this as eye witnesses.
5. On 28 December, a plaque about Vadhu’s Govind Gopal Gaikwad was erected at
the location of his samadhi as per the instructions of the local Gaikwad family
members. Following this, on 29 December, the samadhi was vandalised. This led
to a tense atmosphere. The local Ambedkarite workers used the provision of the
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act to lodge
complaints against 49 people.
6. On 29 December, the local gram panchayat gave a decision and with the help of
200 to 300 Hindutva supporters, removed and threw away the board and also
removed the protective umbrella on top of the samadhiand damaged it. That
afternoon, the head of Pune Rural Police, Suvez Haque called a meeting in the
house of a local Gaikwad and after deliberations, filed complaints against 49
people, seven of whom were arrested. Some members of the Bharat Mukti
Morcha demanded that all the accused be arrested, which created tensions. At
the same time, someone threw a stone at the deputy superintendent of police
Ganesh More’s car, which created tensions.
7. On the evening of 30 December, a press conference with Milind Ekbote was held
in Sonai Hotel and Beer Bar near Perne Phata. Reporters from that village, Sakal’s
correspondent Sharad Pable and Lokmat’s KD Gawhane gave this information.
Milind Ekbote held the meeting with eyewitnesses on terms that his name would
be withheld. Several members of [Ekbote’s] organisation were present there.
[The eyewitnesses said,] “Milind Ekbote had gone there to seek protection of
Shikrapur police.”[They added that] at a meeting called by Milind Ekbote, it was
discussed that 1 January 2018 should be observed as a black day and on that day,
the entire village in the locality of Bhima Koregaon
 and the shops on the streets was to be kept shut. At this meeting, local reporters
such as Lokmat’s Gawhane and Sunil Bhandalkar, Sakal’s Pable, and people from
Talegaon Dhamdhere named Sudheer Dhamdhere and Kapre were present.
8. From 30 December to 31 December, a message was going viral on social media
that Sambhaji Bhide will hold a meeting on 1 January and that everyone should
gather in the village of Vadhu.
9. On 30 December, Bhima Koregaon gram panchayat passed an anti-constitutional
resolution resolving to call a bandh in Bhima Koregaon on 1 January.
10. As per the information given by local citizens, it was said that [everyone should]
join the bandh in the gram panchayats of Vadhu, Sanaswadi, Shikrapur, Perne
and that 1 January should be observed as a black day. The bandh’s notice was
given to the local police inspector Galande. From the evening of 31 December
onwards, several shops from Shikrapur to Bhima Koregaon and in the locality of
Lonikand started receiving threats that they must keep their shops shut the next
day. Similarly, threats were issued in the village that rickshaw drivers should not
ride their auto rickshaws and not a single motorist should ride their vehicles.
11. On 31 December, from 6 pm onwards, the former Zilla Parishad president
Pradeep Kand, Anil Kand, Ganesh Kand were roaming about in the locality,
intimidating hotels in Tulapur Phata and in the vicinity to shut down that night
itself.
12. On 31 December, the union minister of state for social justice, Ramdasji Athavle,
and workers accompanying him, visited Govind Gaikwad and Sambhaji Maharaj’s
samadhis in Vadhu. Once they were there, a puja was performed with cow urine
at Sambhaji Maharaj’s samadhi. These visuals have been captured by CCTV
cameras. Since this incident was an incident that encouraged untouchability, it
supported their Hindutvavadi mentality and the riots that took place on 1
January.
13. Riots were going to break out in Sanaswadi on 1 January. The women there knew
this because that night itself, sticks and swords were hidden in a tea shop and a
rented shop selling alcohol, owned by that village’s Tanta Mukti president Shri
Vaibhav Yadav. It was also being said that riots were going to break out on that
day in the morning, under the watch of Rahul Hargude and Datta Hargude, by
filling kerosene in the water tractor of that village. At 9 am, village residents
made a phone call to Maharashtra’s social justice and special assistance minister,
Rajkumar Badole, and informed him that riots were going to break out in the
village. At 3 pm, they made a phone call to say that the riots have caused a lot of
damage. However, they said, Badole told them to maintain calm and to not react
in any manner.
14. On16 December 2017, at 9.24 pm, Kaustubh Kasture had put up a post on
Facebook and social media that a historic incident resembling riotswas going to
take place on 1January. On it, Vidyacharan Purandare posted a comment that
“our Diwali is their Shimga.” Both Kaustubh Kasture and Vidyacharan Purandare
are disciples of BM Purandare. Both are associated with Sambhaji
 Bhide and Milind Ekbote’s organisation. The entire conspiracy will be revealed if
charges are filed against them and they are taken into custody.
15. By 8 am on 1 January, several shops were shut everywhere from Bhima Koregaon
to Shikrapur. Around 10 am, followers of Hindutvavadi ideology started gathering
in Vadhu. The crowd carried saffron flags and sticks as they raised slogans while
they walked through Vadhu village till Nagar road. During that time, the crowd
was raising slogans like “Hindu Rashtra Banake Rahenge” and “Har Har
Mahadev.”
16. On 30 and 31 December 2017, provocative messages were circulated by persons
of Hindutva ideology on Facebook and WhatsApp. Because of this, tensions
increased even further. Messages were circulated saying that Sambhaji Bhide will
hold a meeting on 1 January 2018 at 11 am.
Ø On 1 January 2018, a gang of Hindutvavadi youth were roaming about in
[Royal Enfield] Bullets and other two-wheelers, carrying saffron flags and
raising slogans. They were obstructing vehicles by breaking vehicles arriving
from Shikrapur that had blue flags.
Ø Bhim sainiks in the vehicles were pulled out and beaten in an inhuman
manner. The information related to this was being passed on by some
Ambedkarite workers by calling the police officers of the concerned
jurisdiction. But none of the officers were taking these phone calls seriously.
Prominent among them were DSP Ganesh More, Lonikand’s police inspector
Sarjerao Patil and Shikrapur’s Ramesh Galande and Suhas Galande.
Ø During the time of the incident on 1 January 2018, a 30-feet chariot, which
was placed horizontally on the road and had a huge statue of Dr Babasaheb
Ambedkar in a welding-fitting state, was taken to a different spot by the
superintendent of Pune Rural Police Suvez Haque, with the help of some
others. At night, near the Vijay Stambh, Ambedkar’s statue was taken to a
safe place and Haque stayed there all night.
Ø On 1 January 2018, some Hindutvavadi youth carried cutters and spray
pumps. Vehicles were burnt down by scratching them with cutters and then
spraying [inflammable liquid] on them. Some have witnessed this.
Ø In the areas where these vehicles were being burnt, the minister of state and
DSP were eyewitnesses. But without giving any directions to the police, they
played the role of mere onlookers.
Ø In some time, the police began to beat up Ambedkarite activists and fire tear
gas shells instead of removing the mob, which was pelting stones and setting
everything else on fire.
Ø On 1 January 2018, at 9 am, a crowd of 200–300 Hindutvavadi youth
obstructed vehicles that were going to and from Sanaswadi Chowk and
attacked them. Then the [Ambedkarite] workers called the state’s social
justice and special assistance minister,



 Rajkumar Badole, as well. He said he would look into it and then cut the call.
Ø When Ambedkarite workers were being beaten up at Chakan Chowk, some
workers called up the Shikrapur police station, the havaldar Khillare,
constable Gaikwad, and PSI Khose. They all answered the phone, said they
will look into it and cut the call.
Ø The Hindutvavadi crowd carrying saffron flags were beating up Ambedkarite
Bhim sainiks in the villages of Pimple Dhumal, Jategoan Khurd, Jategaon
Budruk, Siddhegavhan, Karandi, and Bahul. The Hindutvavadi public
representatives of the local villages were participants in it.
Ø Sugarcane workers at Vyankatesh Sugar Mills in Jategaon Budruk were being
beaten up and asked why they had put up blue flags. A crowd of
Hindutvavadi youth were among those who were beating them up. It was
being led by Sagar Dhumal and his supporters.
Ø On the morning of 1 January 2018, a Hindutvavadi crowd of 200-300 carrying
saffron flags were coming from the direction of Sambhaji Maharaj Samadhi
Vadhu and going towards the direction of the Vijay Stambh. Some workers
had conveyed this possibility to DSP Ganesh More, but he did not take the
workers seriously. He said, “You do your own work.”
Ø Before this crowd of thousands came from the direction of the Vijay Stambh,
they had stopped in the village for some time. Then a few people in the
crowd said: “Don’t worry, the police is on our side.” They shouted: “Fight
boldly, the police will do their work later.”
Ø Some crowds carrying saffron flags stopped at different villages, such as
Kondhapuri, Chakan Chowk, Sanaswadi Phata, and Malthan Phata, to throw
stones at vehicles with blue flags. They were breaking the vehicles on the
roads. At the time, the state’s minister of state Dilip Kamble of social justice
department was present at the location. When stones were thrown from a
buildingon his car, some workers took him away from there to a safe place.
Kamble called the state’s chief minister Devendra Fadnavis from the spot on
his own mobile phone but did not receive a response. After some time,
Fadnavis himself called Kamble on his mobile phone. Then Kamble told the
chief minister about everything that happened and requested for additional
police force to be sent. The chief minister cut the phone call. Stone-throwing
was going on till then. At the time, the reporter Prachi Kulkarni and one other
reporter were present in Dilip Kamble’s car.
Ø On 1 January 2018, a rally with saffron flags was also coming from the
direction of Bhima Koregaon. Some policemen in civil dress were also present
in this rally. Their faces were recognisable to some Ambedkarite workers.
Instead of stopping the rally, they were boldly backing it by walking along in
the rally. That rally separated into four different gangs


 and went in different directions. Second gang went towards Shikrapur. Third
gang went towards Chouphula and fourth gang went towards Bhima
Koregaon.
Ø On 2 January, when Section 144—prohibition of unlawful assembly—was
imposed in the village, a crowd of 5,000 Hindutvavadi men had gathered
there. The police still took no action. And did not do anything to prevent it.
Ø On 2 January at 10 am, a Hindutvavadi crowd that numbered in the
thousands tore down the flexes put up by Ambedkarite workers near Perne
Phata, which escalated the tension in the locality. It has been found that
there were discussions in the village to turn some quarrels in the village into
riots and to burn down the houses of the Ambedkarite community.
Ø Charges should be filed against whichever gram panchayats announced a
bandh on 1 January or gave such notice to the villagers.The gram panchayats
should be dismissed and their sarpanch, upasarpanch, gram sevak, members
and clerks should be arrested immediately.
Ø Charges under NSA [the National Security Act] should be filed against the
accused in the incident and they should be arrested.
Ø Mobiles of the suspects should be confiscated and their records should be
examined.
Ø The police officers and their subordinateswhose names have come up in
relation to this incident should be suspended immediately.
Ø Recently, the court had removed the encroachments on the Vijay Stambh
land which was in the possession of Jamadar Malvadkar. Charges should be
filed against Jamadar Malvadkar, Ashok Malvadkar, Namdeo Malvadkar,
Jayesh Shinde and they should be arrested and their phone calls should be
examined as well.
Ø The attack on 1 January 2018 was pre-planned. At the local level, Sambhaji
Bhide and Milind Ekbote’s organisation’s local leaders Shri Bhandare and Shri
Anil Ghuge had carried out the attack with the organisation’s Hindutvavadi
workers on the instructions of Sambhaji Bhide and Milind Ekbote. This is
pointed out. Similarly, Kaustubh Kasture and Vidyacharan Purandare were
aware of this plot on 16 December 2017. This can be seen.
Ø There weren’t enough preparations in place to control the attack on 1
January 2018. The police administration did not take serious cognisance of it.
The police force arrived late. Without taking any action against the assailants
or by not restraining them, local police played the role of passive onlookers.
Ø Sambhaji Bhide, Milind Ekbote, Shri Bhandare, Shri Anil Ghuge should be
arrested and investigated by an SIT [Special Investigation Team]. This is the
committee’s opinion.
Ø As per the committee’s knowledge, the workers of the Hindutvavadi
organisations were brought from Sangli, Talegaon, etc. The committee has
this information. And the buses which


 brought the workers here. Who and where were the arrangements made. It
is necessary to enquire into it. This is the committee’s opinion.
17. After this, the crowd became violent from Sanaswadi, to Shikrapur to Bhima
Koregaon. On 1 January, the small children, women, elder women and men who
had come to pay tributes at the Vijay Stambh were hit with stones. Similarly,
incidents of vehicles being broken, arson, stone-throwing, and rioting began to
break out. The police stood in the background watching and without making any
preparations, or planning any measures for prevention, they stood as onlookers
for around two hours while arson was being committed. Following this, when
some citizens tried to resist the attack to save their lives, they attempted to stop
the resistance and the riots picked up momentum. Therefore, as per what I saw
prima facie, the incident on 1 January was not a riot but a pre-planned plot and
attack.
Milind Ekbote, Sambhaji Bhide and ideologically-similar organisations that spread
Hindutva, and local citizens who subscribe to Hindutva ideology were involved in
this. This is our clear opinion. Citizens residing in this locality say that the police
should file charges against whoever supported the attacks and take them into
custody and carry out necessary proceedings against them. This is not just a
dispute between Marathas and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. It is a
dispute between Hindutvavadi ideology and Ambedkarite ideology, the
preparation for which had been going on for many years. This year marks the
completion of 200 years of the story of Bhima Koregaon bravery. The laxity of the
local police in the area is also seen here. The local police inspector Galande, and
the DSP Ganesh More were also a part of it. So this investigation should not be
handed over to the police and other mechanisms should be deployed to
investigate it, in the opinion of this committee.
18. Some footage of the attacks by assailants at Nalanda Budh Vihar in Sanaswadi
has been captured by the CCTV camera there. That CCTV camera should be taken
into possession and there should be an enquiry about it.
19. The role of the local leaders in this area, regardless of their party affiliations, is
suspicious. Therefore, they too should be called for investigation and, if proof is
found against them, they too should be charged.
Ø In relation to everything that has taken place, this committee thinks that in
the entire attacks and riots and the incidents that took place, the present and
absent participation of Manohar alias Sambhaji Bhide, and Milind Ekbote is
visible. Therefore, the main conspirators behind the incident, Sambhaji Bhide
and Milind Ekbote, Kaustubh Kasture, Vidyacharan Purandare should be
arrested with charges filed under National Security Act and strict enquiry
should be done.
Ø On the day of the incident, the police officers answerable in the concerned
areas, DSP Ganesh More, Shikrapur police station’s police inspector Ramesh
Galande, Lonikand police station’s Sarjerao Patil, and other police officers
and employees who were unable to stop the attacks and the riots and
deliberately failed in their duty, should be suspended. The investigation
 against the police officers in the concerned local areas should not be carried
out by their subordinates. All the incidents above should be investigated by
an SIT.
Ø Because there are frequent incidents creating caste tensions, it should be
stopped by forming a committee at the administrative level to develop social
reconciliation.
Ø A meeting should be held with the owners of industrial companies in the
concerned areas, administrative directors, administrators, labour unions,
labourers and public representatives at the government level to convey the
message that the workers working in these companies cannot be pressurised
by caste malice.
Ø Special care should be taken at the government level with all seriousness for
the security of the students studying in schools and colleges in the concerned
areas.
Ø In the incident that took place in Vadhu, the accused against whom charges
were filed under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of
Atrocities) Act, are all relatives of Shirur BJP MLA Baburao Pacharne.
Therefore, there are attempts to save the accused. If the concerned accused
persons remain at large,without any strict investigation, then any untoward
incident could take place in that village.
Ø Arrangements should be made at the government level for the employment
and housing in a safe place for the labour class, who left the villages out of
fear during the incidents and for those who became victims to the incidents.

If this is not done, then caste tensions will be created for a different reason again
and every village and every house will see serious consequences.Students, labourers,
small children and women will bear the blows of these consequences. Therefore,
serious cognisance of this should be taken and this should be reined in, on time, with
seriousness. This is the request.

Yours,

Dr Siddharth Dhende Sarjerao Waghmare Vishal Sonavne PMN Kamble


Adv Rahul Makhre Vikas Salve Ramakant Khande Shyam Gaikwad


Sachin Kadlakh Datta Pol