On 1 January 1818, a battle was fought between the British forces and the army of the ruler, Peshwa Baji Rao II. While the army of the British comprised 900 soldiers, those of the Peshwa had 25000 soldiers. However, given their advanced military technology the British were easily able to defeat the forces of the Peshwa. The battle was fought in an otherwise nondescript village of Bhima Koregaon, located at a distance of thirty kilometers from Pune. The uniqueness of this battle was that almost half of the British army was composed of Mahars (the Untouchables). And twenty-two Mahar soldiers were killed in this battle. The British, in order to honour the martyrdom of the Mahar soldiers and all those who were killed, erected a victory pillar in Bhima Koregaon. This was done on 26 March 1821.
Over the years the Battle of Bhima Koregaon has become a trope for the fighting prowess of the Dalits. And it has become a tradition among Dalits to gather at the victory pillar in Bhima Koregaon every 1st January to celebrate their triumph. While this tradition continued unabated for almost 200 years, it was on 1st January, 2018, that a major act of violence took place which hindered this practice. Termed as the ‘modern reprise’ of the Battle of Bhima Koregaon, the act of violence took place between the Dalits (primarily Ambedkarites), on the one hand, and the Marathas, on the other. The Marathas were supported by Brahmin leaders such as Sambhaji Bhide and Milind Ekbote.