Bheem Army protests violence against Dalits in Maharashtra

Activists of the Bheem Army, a Dalit group, protested violence against members of their community in Maharashtra, at the collectorate.

A large group of protesters staged a sit-in and raised slogans against the Maharashtra government here last evening. Led by their leader Vaibhav Bawra, they gave a memorandum, addressed to the president, to the district magistrate.

In the memorandum, they demanded that the Maharashtra government be removed over its failure to protect Dalits in the state.

Violence had erupted in Pune on January 1 when Dalit groups were celebrating the bicentenary of the Bhima-Koregaon battle in which the British defeated the Peshwas of Maharashtra.

Dalit leaders commemorate the British victory, as it is believed that soldiers from the Mahar community were part of the East India Company's forces. The Peshwas were Brahmins, and the victory is seen as a symbol of assertiveness by Dalits.