The Pune Police have booked six members of the Kabir Kala Manch (KKM), a predominantly Dalit and working class troupe performing protest music, for allegedly making provocative speeches at the Elgaar Parishad held in Pune on December 31 to commemorate the Bhima-Koregaon battle.
The police had earlier filed an FIR against Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani and student leader Umar Khalid.
The FIR was lodged against KKM activists Sudhir Dhavale, Deepak Dhengle, Jyoti Jagtap, Deepak Sagar Gorkhe, Harshali Potdar and Ramesh Gaychor at the Vishrambaug police station under Sections 153 (a), 505 1 (b), 117 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code on Monday night, the police said.
Complainant Tushar Ramesh Damgude (37) said in his complaint, “Throughout their presentation, which included songs, speeches and drama, the KKM members made remarks designed to incite trouble, such as repeatedly calling for the crushing of the ‘neo-Peshwai’ mentality … It is my view that [the KKM] is a front for the CPI (Maoist) and is misleading the Dalit community with their seditious acts.”
In January last year, the Supreme Court had granted bail to KKM activists Sachin Mali, Sagar Gorkhe and Ramesh Ghaichor, who had been arrested by the Maharashtra ATS for purveying ‘objectionable’ literature and aiding and abetting Naxal activities.
Santosh Shinde of the Sambhaji Brigade, which participated in the Elgar Parishad, said the administration is hounding people who had taken permission for the Parishad instead of investigating Sambhaji Bhide and Milind Ekbote, against whom an FIR was filed after violence in Bhima-Koregaon on January 1.
Meanwhile, the Pune Rural Police have arrested 27 people from the Maratha and Dalit communities for the January 1 clashes at Bhima-Koregaon. Nine of them have been sent to police custody till January 11.
