Koregaon violence takes fiery form in Mumbai; CM Fadnavis orders judicial probe alerting people to not believe in rumors

Mumbai, January 2: Mumbai Police continuously keeping track and alerting Mumbaikars as Koregaon violence upped the violence in Mumbai today. Shops in Chembur, Mulund were forced close and stone pelting events took place damaging BEST buses and other vehicles.

On Monday, this violence got triggered in Pune as an event marking the 200th anniversary of the Koregaon Bhima battle turned into riots that broke out at the Dalit rally, killing at least one person. The violence took place during an event of Dalits to mark the anniversary of the 1818 Battle of Koregaon, in which British forces defeated an army of Peshwas.

Violence broke out after a local group got into an argument with a crowd on its way to the Koregaon Bhima battle memorial in Shiroor tehsil.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered a judicial inquiry. CM Fadnavis alerted people saying “not to believe in rumours.” “We have ordered a judicial probe in the incident under a sitting HC judge,” the CM added. “Rs 10 lakh compensation for the next to kin of the deceased was also announced.”

Protesters from Dalit communities called for a “rasta roko” protest in Mumbai, and many buses were also vandalised in Pune’s Hadapsar and Phursungi areas. Bus services to Ahmednagar and Aurangabad in the state were also suspended. Also protestors had stopped traffic in many parts of Mumbai, and a number of shops in Powai, Mulund, Mankhurd, Bhandup and Govandi pulled down their shutters in anticipation of violence.