Following the violent clashes disrupting Maharashtra’s law and order during the Bhima-Koregaon event, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy warned the state’s leaders to know that fighting amongst Hindus is only helping foreigners. He said that these leaders should learn correct History about the Peshwas and Marathas.
He added that there was never any hostility between Brahmins and Mahas because Ambedkar’s teacher was a Brahmin and his second wife was also a Brahmin. He claimed that the violence was sparked by converted Christians and Congress is a part of this larger international Christian conspiracy against India.
Dalit protestors called for a statewide shut down on Monday after a 28-year-old Dalit died in Pune following an altercation between two groups during celebrations to mark the bicentenary of a British-Peshwa war.(Watch Video At the Botteom of the article)
Earlier, At least seven Mumbai Police personnel were injured in Tuesday’s protests that broke out in the wake of Pune’s Bhima Koregaon scuffle during a Dalit rally. Two of the policemen, constable Deepak Khedekar and assistant commissioner J D More, were admitted to Chembur’s Zen Hospital.
Khedekar, 35, suffered cornea damage when a glass shard pierced his left eye. “He was part of the force attempting to stop the agitation. When a stone pelter broke the window of a bus, a piece of glass flew and hit him,” said inspector Jaywant Sankpal of Chembur police station. Khedekar was on duty at Chembur checkpost when the incident occurred around 4 pm.
He was first rushed to Rushabh Eye Hospital where doctors said he would require a surgery. He was then shifted to Zen Multi-specialty Hospital where a surgery was conducted in the evening. “He may lose complete or partial vision. We are trying to salvage it. It will take three months before we can understand whether a cornea transplant is required,” said Dr Roy Patankar, medical director at the hospital.
Khedekar, a resident of Koparkhairane, is said to be under shock but the shard was successfully removed. Khedekar now runs the risk of infection or fibrosis in his eye, a scarring that appears when the wound heals.
Assistant commissioner More suffered a fracture in his left hand. According to police spokesperson Sachin Patil, he suffered the injury when he attempted to block a group of protesters at Chembur checkpost. Another officer said More was pushed back by the mob when he attempted to block them and sustained injury in the left hand. Doctors treating him at Zen hospital said he was stable but had been kept under observation.
Across the city, four other police personnel — Swapnali Shinde, Prakash Ghadigaokar, Rajendra Bhalerao and Sandesh Latankar — were treated for minor injuries and discharged from Rajawadi Hospital Tuesday. “We also received a patient who was around when the protest took place and sustained injuries. It is not clear whether he was also protesting,” said medical superintendent Dr Vidya Thakur.
In Kurla Bhabha hospital, constable Dilip Badar was rushed with an eye injury in the afternoon. He was attacked in Kurla during the protest. “He also sustained an injury on forehead and a minor cornea abrasion. He was treated and discharged,” said medical superintendent Dr Krishnakumar Pimpale.
