Maharashtra Government Trains Guns on Youth Leaders, FIRs and Detentions

MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: The Maharashtra governments response to the attack on Dalits in Bhima Koregaon and the ensuing protests in Mumbai and other parts, has been to crack down on youth leaders. Earlier today, a meeting by Chatrabharti Sangathan where youth leaders including Pradeep Narwal, Umar Khalid, Jignesh Mevani and Richa Singhwere to address s large crowd was forcibly cancelled. Narwal and Singh have been detained by the Maharashtra police.

The police has also registered an FIR against Dalit leader and Gujarat legislator Jignesh Mevani and JNU student leader Umar Khalid for allegedly inciting passions between communities before the attack on Dalaits in Pune. The cops said that the FIR was filed on the basis of a complaint by a 22-year-old student, Akshay G Bikkad, of Pune who claimed that inflammatory speeches had been made by the two youth leaders.

The situation has become tense, with the Maharashtra government in the dock in Parliament trying now to turn the tables by targeting the young leaders. Rajya Sabha was adjourned repeatedly yesterday with the MPs directly accusing the RSS and the BJP for fanning the fires of caste violence in the state.

Not only have the protests escalated in Mumbai’s Vile Parle where the event was to take place, but a ‘war’ has also erupted on the social media. The right wing individuals and groups have brought out the old Jawaharlal Nehru controversy against Umar Khalid, calling him and Mevani anti-nationals. Even though the so called ‘evidence’ of videos against Khalid and others at the time were found to be doctored.

 

 

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Umar Khalid and Jignesh Mewani have been invited at this event here, this had been fixed earlier: Sagar Bhalerao (Chhatra Bharati,VP), Organiser #Mumbai

 

 

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#Mumbai: Students gathered for Chhatra Bharati event outside Bhaidas Hall, being forcibly removed pic.twitter.com/eGT36BvQov

 

 Mevani has made it clear on his Facebook page that the allegations against them were doctored. And that an impression was being given as if they were going to the Pune conflict site, saying this was completely wrong. He instead the police to follow the rule of law, and the people to maintain peace. Mevani and Khaled had addressed a meeting in Pune city, Elgar Parishad, an event organised the commemorate the 200th anniversary of the battle of Bhima-Koregaon. Predictably, the impression now being deliberately is spread that the two were present at the village where the violence took place two days later.