Minister Chandrakant Patil takes stock of preparations for Jan 1 Koregaon Bhima anniversary event
Chandrakant Patil, guardian minister of Pune district, has directed government and police officials to provide essential facilities to the people who are expected to gather at the “Jaystambh” on January 1 to mark the 205th anniversary of the battle of Koregaon Bhima.
Patil chaired a meeting in this regard at the Vidhan Bhavan in Pune on Thursday. Divisional commissioner Saurabh Rao, district collector Rajendra Deshmukh, commissioner of social welfare department Prashant Narnaware, BARTI director general Dhammajyoti Gajbhiye, joint commissioner of Pune city police Sandip Karnik, superintendent of Pune rural police Ankit Goyal and other officials were present for the meeting.
Patil asked the officials to ensure that basic facilities like water are provided for the January 1 programme. He also said that funds would be provided for carrying out proper management for the event. Patil appealed to the citizens to co-operate with the government machinery to ensure that programme is held peacefully.
On Wednesday, collector Deshmukh visited Jaystambh located at Perne village on the Pune-Ahmednagar highway along with other senior police and government officials from various departments and civic bodies. Deshmukh took a review of the preparations underway for the battle anniversary programme for which a few lakhs people, mainly Ambedkarites, are expected to visit on January 1.
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PremiumJaystambh was erected by the British government in 1821 in memory of its soldiers who fought against the Peshwas at Koregaon Bhima on January 1, 1818. On December 13, 1824, the British had appointed their soldier Kandojibin Gajoji Jamadar (Malvadkar), who was wounded in the Battle of Koregaon Bhima, as the in-charge of the Jaystambh.
While the descendants of Jamadar, who are from the Maratha community, insist that both British and Peshwa forces consisted of soldiers from different castes, Ambedkarite Dalits view the victory of the British Army, which comprised over 500 Mahar community soldiers, over the Peshwas as a “war for freedom” against alleged casteism of the upper-caste Brahmins.
Meanwhile, a dispute about the Jaystambh land between the Jamadar family and the state government is pending in different courts.
On December 12, the Bombay high court granted permission to the state government to enter the “disputed land” around the Jaystambh between December 22 and January 5, 2023 to make arrangements for the January 1 programme.
