Bhima Koregaon news: Thousands of people paid tribute at the Vijay Stambh near Perne village in Pune to mark the 201st anniversary of the Koregaon Bhima battle. The administration said that security officials have been deployed near the village to check any suspicious movement. On January 1 last year, caste clashes had broken out around Koregaon Bhima village left one dead and injured several others. The violence was triggered after a few Dalit activists delivered provocative speeches.

According to police, around 20,000 visitors who have come from various parts of Maharashtra visited the victory pillar till last evening. Majority of the visitors, mainly youths, were from the Vidarbha and the Marathawada regions.


The Vijay Stambh had been erected by the British as a memorial for the soldiers killed in the Koregaon Bhima battle on January 1, 1818. Dalits believe that it was a victory over casteism as the British army comprising a large contingent of dalit Mahar soldiers had defeated the forces of Peshwas who were the Brahmin custodians of the Maratha kingdom.

According to a PTI report, at least 5,000 police personnel, 1200 Home Guard jawans, 12 companies of the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) and 2,000 Dalit volunteers are deployed in and around Perne village.

Special IG, Vishwas Nangare Patil said that focus is to maintain law and order situation while keeping eye on any sabotage activities. As part of a security measure, police held a route march around the memorial on Monday evening.

Besides large-scale police deployment, 500 CCTV cameras, 11 drone cameras and 40 video cameras are monitoring the area. Police check posts have been set up along the border of Pune district.

“Internet services in and around Perne village have been suspended,” Patil said.

Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh leader Prakash Ambedkar, the grandson of Dalit icon B R Ambedkar, was among the first politicians to offer his tribute at the Jay Stambh this morning. After laying a wreath at the memorial, Ambedkar hoped the commemoration event will pass off peacefully.

“Unlike last year, local people of surrounding villages have extended all help during the commemoration. Locals are lending a helping hand. I hope peaceful completion. However, the police should not act in haste,” he told reporters.

The Pune Police are probing the alleged Maoist links in the January 1 last year violence which they was triggered by provocative speeches made at the Elgar Parishad conclave in Pune on December 31, 2017. In the wake of the clashes, police had booked Hindutva leaders Milind Ekbote and Sambhaji Bhide on charges of inciting violence.