Bhima Koregaon Violence: Who Are Sambhaji Bhide & Milind Ekbote?
As
the ripples of the Bhima Koregaon clashes spread throughout Mumbai,
everyone is asking the same question — how did the violence begin? On
Monday, an FIR was filed against two men
— Milind Ekbote from Samast Hindu Aghadi and Sambhaji Bhide of Shiv
Pratishthan Hindustan for sparking stone-pelting and the subsequent
violence.
But who are the men at the center of the violence against Dalits in Maharashtra and the ensuing chaos in the state? Here's a quick look.
But who are the men at the center of the violence against Dalits in Maharashtra and the ensuing chaos in the state? Here's a quick look.
Sambhaji Bhide and His PM Modi Connection
Known
as 'Bhide Guruji' by his followers, 85-year-old Sambhaji Bhide is no
stranger to controversy. In 2008, he led the protests against Ashutosh
Gowariker's historical romance film Jodhaa Akbar, and was
booked for ransacking theaters and halting screenings of the movie. A
year later, he sparked unrest in Sangli in Maharashtra over the
depiction of an "artist's impression of assassination of Adil Shah's
army commander Afzal Khan by Shivaji Maharaj", reports Mumbai Mirror.
When Prime Minister Modi visited Sangli, also Bhide's hometown, in 2014, he praised Bhide and is reported to have said,
“I did not come to Sangli on my own, but I was given orders by Bhide
Guruji to visit his city, and here I am.” Here’s a video of PM Modi
speaking about Sambhaji Bhide. (Note: The Quint is unable to independently verify the authenticity of the attached video.)
A
physicist by training, Bhide completed his MSc in nuclear physics and
was a professor of physics at Pune's Fergusson College. Later, he joined
the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as a pracharak and founded an
organisation called "Shiv Pratishthan Hindustan." Shiv Pratishthan
Hindustan focuses on spreading the teachings and information on the life
of Shivaji Maharaj and his son Sambhaji Maharaj. Despite his age, Bhide
has a significant following among the young in areas like Sangli,
Kolhapur and Satara and has an impressive social media following on Facebook.
Milind Ekbote
56-year-old
Milind Ekbote has been in an out of power in Pune, as a BJP and Shiv
Sena corporator. His first stint was in 1997, when he was a BJP
corporator in the city. In 2002, he was denied a ticket, and lost the
election on an independent ticket. But with his organisation, 'Hindu
Ekta Manch' in 2007, he came into prominence by leading protests against
Valentine's Day. He has 12 cases of rioting, trespassing and other
charges against him, out of which he has been convicted in five, reports
Mumbai Mirror.
Responding
to the Bhima Koregaon violence, Ekbote has issued a statement where he
says he is “saddened by the inconvenience caused to Dalits due to
rioting after their visit to Bhima Koregaon”, and has condemned “the act
of rioting,” reports The Indian Express. Commenting on Dr BR Ambedkar, he added that he considers them as “icons.”
