An Ambedkarite outfit has written to the Prime Minister’s Office, urging the government to declare the ranstambh (victory pillar) commemorating the 1818 battle of Bhima-Koregaon a national memorial.
The city-based Republican Yuva Morcha, which has been petitioning the Centre for the obelisk to be declared a heritage site, said the PMO recently issued directions to the defence and cultural affairs ministries and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to look into the request.
“We received a letter last month from the ASI, Mumbai circle, requesting us to submit details of the monument such as its present condition, ownership, age and historical importance, along with photographs so that they could take our request further,” said Rahul Dambale, president of the Republican Yuva Morcha.
Mr. Dambale said he had also requested the ASI to set up a live tableau depicting the battle of Bhima-Koregaon, which holds significance for the Ambedkarite community across the country. He said an estimated 25 lakh people are expected to visit the obelisk on the 202nd anniversary of the battle on January 1, 2020.
Each year, members of Ambedkarite outfits, politicians, pilgrims, soldiers and Dalits congregate near the 60-foot ranstambh dedicated to the fallen soldiers of the battle at Perne village.
The Pune Rural Police have already issued prohibitory orders under Sections 144, 107,110 and more of the Criminal Procedure Code against Hindutva leaders Milind Ekbote and Sambhaji Bhide, and 70 others, directing them not to enter Bhima-Koregaon and adjacent villages ahead of the anniversary celebrations.
Mr. Ekbote, who is out on bail, and Mr. Bhide have been named in FIRs lodged by Dalit activists, who accuse them of being the chief instigators of the violent clashes that marred the bicentenary of the battle on January 1, 2018.
The victory memorial is dedicated to the battle of January 1, 1818, in which 500 soldiers of the Mahar community fought alongside the English to defeat the numerically superior army of Peshwa Bajirao II.
However, it was Babasaheb Ambedkar’s visit to the site on January 1, 1927, that revitalised the memory of the battle for the Dalit community by leading to its commemoration in the form of a victory pillar.
