Bhima Koregaon: Crowd gathers at Vijaystambh to mark 205th anniversary of battle

The festivities at Bhima Koregaon kicked off on January 1, two years after it was suspended on account of the pandemic.

Pune (Maharashtra): Massive crowd gathered at Maharashtra's Pune to mark the 205th anniversary of the Bhima-Koregaon battle.Lakhs of devotees from all over the state assembled at Bhima Koregaon and paid obeisance to the Vijayastambha(victory stone). Devotees offered tributes to commemorate the anniversary of the battle fought between the British East India Company and the Peshwa faction of the Maratha Confederacy on January 1, 1818.

The local administration organized the Jayastambha salutation program. The festivities were carried out after a spree of 2 years as they were suspended because of Covid restrictions. During this ceremony, Dhammachana -- also known as the Indian Buddhist Mahasabha community Buddha Vandana -- was performed early morning. Following this, a salutation and felicitation program was held by the retired soldiers of Samata Sainik Dal, Mahar Battalion.

Violence broke out during the bicentenary celebrations of the Bhima Koregaon battle on January 1, 2018, in which one person was killed and several others were injured. The police had filed 58 cases against 162 people. This violence erupted after some people, reportedly with saffron flags, pelted stones at cars heading towards the village to commemorate the 200 years of the Bhima-Koregaon war on New Year's Day.

Dalit leaders and workers at the village had alleged that Hindutva activists Milind Ekbote and Sambhaji Bhide instigated the violence.