Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
The Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) held a major protest, on Friday, against the filing of police cases on Ambedkarite activists who had opposed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) membership drive.
The protesters had planned to march towards the RSS office, Prahlad Bhavan, in Bhagyanagar. However, police stopped them at Kranti Chowk and appealed for peace. Hence the calm appeal from Sujat Ambedkar, effective communication by the police, and the restraint shown by the protesters, the protest remained peaceful.
The police had filed cases against Rahul Makasare, Abhimanyu Ambhore, Shailesh Chabukswar, Vijay Wahu, and others at Osmanpura and Vedantnagar police stations. They were accused of using abusive language during the RSS membership event and circulating videos that allegedly created social tension. In protest, the VBA and several Ambedkarite groups had called for a demonstration from Kranti Chowk to Prahlad Bhavan.
By 11 am, a large crowd of protesters gathered at Kranti Chowk. They raised slogans and expressed their protest through songs. After Sujat Ambedkar’s speech at 1 pm, protesters started moving toward the RSS office. Police acted quickly and stopped them near Chunnilal Petrol Pump.
Later, a four-member delegation led by Sujat Ambedkar went toward Prahlad Bhavan. Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Pankaj Atulkar met them near Kranti Chowk Police Station and requested them to stop. The delegation handed him a copy of the Indian Constitution.
Traffic blocked on Jalna Road
Due to the protest, traffic on Jalna Road was completely stopped between 11 am and 2.30 pm. After 1 pm, traffic was diverted from near the district and sessions court, which caused heavy congestion on other routes.
All roads to Prahlad Bhavan closed
As protesters had warned of marching to the RSS office at Prahlad Bhavan, all routes leading to the office were closed from 11 am onwards. Tight police security was deployed around Prahlad Bhavan and the BJP headquarters. The security setup included 2 DCPs, 3 ACPs, 11 police inspectors, 30 APIs and PSIs, and about 600 police personnel.
Before the protest, DCP Ratnakar Navale and PIs Avinash Aghav, Sambhaji Pawar, and Gajanan Kalyankar met Sujat Ambedkar at the Subhedari Guest House and held discussions for about half an hour.