Sukanya Shantha 
Mumbai: On October 25, Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister and home minister Devendra Fadnavis filed his nomination from the Nagpur South West constituency for the upcoming state assembly election. This nomination was followed by a show-of-strength rally, with Fadnavis – who is a five-time MLA from the region – arriving at Samvidhan Chowk, located in the heart of the city. Fadnavis, along with other senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders Nitin Gadkari and Chandrashekhar Bawankule, sat on the podium with Dr. B. R. Ambedkar’s statue at the back.
Even before they began their speeches, their followers, gathered in the hundreds, started chanting “Jai Shri Ram,” a rallying cry for Hindutva parties which often also accompanies violence.
Amidst this, Fadnavis and the others on the podium waved to their supporters, making no attempts to stop the chanting. The situation soon became unruly, resulting in damage to the railings around the chowk.
A screengrab from a video showing repairs being done on the railing at Samvidhan Chowk in Nagpur.
Following the incident, at least 11 different anti-caste, Ambedkarite organisations from across Nagpur have approached the police seeking action. Police have not yet filed a first information report and have requested time to register a case.
Samvidhan Chowk receives substantial foot traffic from Ambedkarites across Nagpur and nearby districts, especially on Ambedkar Jayanti, April 14. Many have questioned Fadnavis’s intentions in choosing such a location. “He had his route pre-decided. Fadnavis could have gone to absolutely any place in the city, but he chose an Ambedkarite place. Why?” asks Rakesh Dhargawe, one of the complainants who approached the Sitabardi police station.
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In his complaint, Dhargawe stated that an intentional attempt was made to incite communal disharmony in the city. He has requested that sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and charges of incitement of communal disharmony be applied against the leaders. Besides the three senior BJP leaders, Jogendra Kawade of the Peoples Republican Party and Sushma Kumbhare of the Bahujan Republican Ekta Manch (BREM) were also present on stage. The complainants have sought police action against them as well.
Vasubandhu Manke, an Ambedkarite from Nagpur, said that it is hard to ignore what happened at Samvidhan Chowk. “Ambedkar symbolises many things. While denouncing Hinduism and embracing Buddhism, Ambedkar took 22 vows, one of which stated, ‘I shall have no faith in Ram and Krishna.’ If a mob chooses to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ at such a spot, one can imagine the intentions behind such sloganeering.”
Since the incident, the police have been patrolling the area to ensure the situation does not escalate further. The damage caused to the structure is being repaired. Shilapa Nagdevta, a senior member of the Bhartiya Boudh Mahasabha, says that every year Ambedkarites gather in thousands around Samvidhan Chowk, “but you will never find a single tile here getting damaged.”
“But now the police have to cordon off the area and get the repairs made just after one visit,” Nagdevta added.
Nagpur is of historical significance. In 1956, lakhs of Dalits denounced Hinduism and embraced Buddhism in the presence of Ambedkar in the city. The region has a sizeable population of Buddhists and Ambedkarites. Interestingly, the headquarters of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is also situated here, leading to significant ideological clashes.