Narrative Battles

Competing historical narratives about the Anglo-Maratha battle at Bhima Koregaon may have ensured that the memory of the 200-year-old battle remains permanently disputed, but they have also led to a renewed self-assertion by Dalit communities.

- Akshay Deshmane

A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE EARLY-JANUARY caste violence in Maharashtra attracted countrywide attention, a different but related controversy caused a minor stir in Pune’s politics. In the last week of December 2017, the Bhima Koregaon Shauryadin Prerna Abhiyan, a committee set up to mark the 200th anniversary of the historic Anglo-Maratha battle, announced its plan to organise a conference named Elgar Parishad on December 31 at the headquarters of the erstwhile Peshwa rulers, Shaniwarwada. The committee’s stated intention for organising the conference was to take inspiration from the bravery of predominantly Mahar [a Dalit sub-caste in Maharashtra] soldiers who fought against the Peshwas in a heroic battle at Bhima Koregaon on January 1, 1818, and unite oppressed sections of society to fight the “New Peshwas”, namely, Hindutva forces. This provoked a sharp reaction from at least two outfits: the Akhil Bhartiya Brahman Mahasangh (ABBM) and the PuneNagarHindu Sabha. Terming the agenda of the conference “anti-national” and “casteist”, they urged the authorities to deny permission to the organisers.

While the ABBM changed its stance later, it continued to express its fundamental disagreement with the narrative about the battle as expressed by the committee and other organisations backing the event. As Ashok Dave, the district president of the ABBM, put it candidly while speaking with The Indian Express: “Our stand is that both the British Army and the Indian forces, represented by Peshwas, had soldiers from various castes. Many soldiers from thePeshws army sacrificed their lives in this war. So, as Indians, we feel it’s not right to celebrate the victory of the British. In fact, there is a difference of opinion among historians on whether the British army won at Bhima Koregaon.” The ABBM also sought an open debate on this issue with the Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani.