Pune, Jan 1: Thousands of people, mainly Dalits, Tuesday flocked the 'Jay Stambh' memorial in Maharashtra's Pune district to pay tributes on the 201st anniversary of the Koregaon Bhima battle amidst heavy police presence.
One person was killed and several others were injured in caste clashes that broke out on January 1 last year on the occasion of the anniversary of the 1818 battle, which has attained legendary stature in Dalit history.
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 where people are paying tributes at the war memorial, police said.
The 'jay stambh' was erected by the British as a memorial for soldiers killed in the Koregaon Bhima battle on January 1, 1818.
Besides large-scale police deployment, 500 CCTV cameras, 11 drone cameras and 40 video cameras are monitoring the area, a senior police officer said this morning.
Police check posts have been set up along the border of Pune district.
"Internet services in and around Perne village have been suspended," special Inspector General of Police Vishwas Nangre-Patil said.
In the Dalit narrative, the 1818 battle is the victory over casteism as the British Army comprising a large contingent of Dalit Mahar soldiers had defeated the forces of Peshwas--the Brahmin custodians of the Maratha kingdom.
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.
Ambedkar said the number of visitors is likely to swell this year.
"The reason behind the surge is because the likes of retired SC judge P B Sawant, retired HC judge B G Kolse Patil and some students (Kabir Kala Manch) took the history of the Koregaon Bhima battle to rural Maharashtra," he said.
Unfortunately, the same students who "bridged the gap between the Marathas and the OBCs using the Elgaar Parishad platform were labelled as Naxals by the government, he said.
"These students took real history of Koregaon Bhima to the masses, but the government labelled them Naxals," he said, adding the government should find real perpetrators of last year's violence and bring them to justice.
Police are probing the alleged Maoist links in the January 1 violence, which they suspect 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.
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Ottawa (PTI): Indo-Canadians Anita Anand and Maninder Sidhu have landed important portfolios in the new cabinet announced by Prime Minister Mark Carney after reshuffle.
While Anand was appointed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sidhu is the new Minister for International Trade in the new cabinet announced on Tuesday.
Carney announced the reshuffle almost two weeks after his Liberal Party won the federal elections in Canada. He had replaced Justin Trudeau months ahead of the elections.
Anand, 58, was the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry before the polls and in the past has served in the roles including of defence minister. She replaced Melanie Joly, who is now the Minister of Industry.
“I am honoured to be named Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. I look forward to working with Prime Minister Mark Carney and our team to build a safer, fairer world and deliver for Canadians,” Anand, an MP from Oakville East, posted on X soon after taking oath.
Sidhu, 41, also took to X after swearing-in and said, it is an “honour of a lifetime” to be appointed as Canada’s International Trade Minister.
“I’m grateful to Prime Minister @MarkJCarney for the confidence he’s placed in me to diversify trade, support Canadian businesses in reaching new global markets, and help create good-paying jobs across Canada,” he said.
“I’m proud to stand alongside my colleagues as we work together to build the fastest-growing economy in the G7,” he added in the post on X.
Sidhu's appointment as the Minister for International Trade comes at a time when Canada is battling the Trump administration's aggression towards Canada on tariffs.
Anand, who was a front-runner in the race to be the next prime minister to replace Trudeau, had in January declared that she is backing out from the race and also that she would not be seeking re-election. However, she had reversed the decision on March 1 saying, “Canada is facing a crucial moment in our nation’s history.”
Born and raised in rural Nova Scotia, Anand moved to Ontario in 1985.
The Prime Minister of Canada's website mentions that Anand was first elected as a Member of Parliament for Oakville in 2019 and previously served as President of the Treasury Board, as Minister of National Defence, and as Minister of Public Services and Procurement.
“Anand has worked as a scholar, lawyer, and researcher. She has been a legal academic, including as a Professor of Law at the University of Toronto, where she held the J R Kimber Chair in Investor Protection and Corporate Governance,” it said and listed her other academic achievements too.
According to Sidhu's website, the entrepreneur has been an MP from Brampton East since 2019 and for over four years, he has also been a Parliamentary Secretary at Global Affairs Canada “helping to strengthen diplomatic relations, promoting international trade, and supporting international development.”
The Canadian prime minister's new cabinet has 28 ministers and they would be supported by 10 secretaries of State who will provide “dedicated leadership on key issues and priorities within their minister’s portfolio,” a statement said Tuesday.
Among the secretaries – basically junior ministers – is Randeep Sarai, Secretary of State (International Development). He is a member of parliament from Surrey Centre.
“Canada, meet your new Cabinet. This is a team that is empowered and expected to lead. Together, we will create a new economic and security relationship with the United States and build a stronger economy — the strongest economy in the G7,” Carney said in a post on X as he shared a small video of the team together.
Soon after, Carney shared another post on X where he shared a photo of the new cabinet team members standing behind him as he addressed the media and said: “Canada has a new government. No matter how you voted, we are in your service. Together, we will build a stronger, more united Canada.”