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The Hindu
14-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Sambhaji Brigade leader Pravin Gaikwad manhandled in Solapur for remarks against Swami Samarth
Sambhaji Brigade founding member Pravin Gaikwad was manhandled and ink was hurled on him allegedly by activists of an organisation over his reported remarks on Swami Samarth in Akkalkot village in Solapur district on Sunday (July 13, 2025), police said. Mr. Gaikwad alleged that he was targeted over his "progressive thoughts" by followers of Hindutva ideology. A viral video shows Mr. Gaikwad being pulled out of his car and manhandled by a group of people in the afternoon. "While Gaikwad was in his car, Shivdharm Foundation supporters staged protests, threw black ink on him and also tried to vandalise his car," an official said. Mr. Gaikwad had come to Akkalkot, widely known for its association with Swami Samarth, who is believed to be a reincarnation of Shree Dattatreya, to attend a felicitation ceremony organised by an educational institute and Sakal Maratha Samaj. The protesters also objected to Mr. Gaikwad's terming Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj as 'Sambhaji'. They demanded that the Sambhaji Brigade be renamed as Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Brigade, the official said. Police booked Deepak Kate and six other members of Shivdharm Foundation under sections 115 (2), 189, 190, and 191 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) for rioting and detained them. They were later allowed to go after the police served them notices. Mr. Gaikwad alleged it was an attempt to kill him for his "progressive thoughts". "I had gone to Akkalkot and suddenly members of the Shiv Dharma Foundation smeared black, sticky oil on me. They attacked me and tried to kill me. You may recall the murders of Dr Pansare, Kalburgi, Dr Dabholkar and Gauri Lankesh. In the current regime, activists with progressive thoughts are unsafe," he alleged while talking to reporters. "Sometimes there are attempts to break political parties. Then there are attempts to divide activists. When all such attempts fail, such attacks are carried out. We work with an ideology rooted in truth. Our thinking is aligned with the Constitution," Mr. Gaikwad added. The Sambhaji Brigade is working for humanity but, unfortunately, some misconceptions are spread about social organisations, following which those claiming to follow the Hindutva ideology carry out such attacks, he claimed. Sambhaji Brigade, a Maratha outfit, is named after Chatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, son of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. It had gained exposure in 2004 for allegedly attacking and vandalising the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute in Pune, claiming that it helped American scholar James Laine's book on Shivaji Maharaj, certain parts of which were unacceptable to them. "Ideological opposition should be expressed through ideas. This path of violence is highly condemnable and deplorable," NCP (SP) MP Amol Kolhe said. His colleague and MLA Jitendra Awhad offered support to Mr. Gaikwad by calling him a "champion of progressive thoughts" and "a fighter".
Hindustan Times
03-06-2025
- Hindustan Times
How a dowry death case in Pune has led to code for simple weddings in Maratha community
In the wake of Vaishnavi Hagawane's suicide, allegedly driven by demands of dowry by her marital family, members of the Maratha community converged at Ahilyanagar on Sunday to introspect and draw up a code of conduct to curb extravagant weddings, in the hope that such a societal pressure might help curb harassment of women. The meeting was chaired by Haribhakt Parayan Badrinath Maharaj Tanpure, a kirtankar of the Warkari tradition who belongs to a family of preachers known to advocate social equality. Over time he has earned recognition and lakhs of followers, and is known as a socially conscious kirtankar of the Warkari tradition, thanks to his progressive ideology. On May 19, after 23-year-old Vaishnavi was found dead at her marital home in Bavdhan, Pune, her father, Anil Kaspate, in an FIR filed at Bavdhan police station alleged that at her in-laws were pressuring them for a Toyota Fortuner, after the family had given them gifts in gold and silver. Vaishnavi's suicide created such a storm that her father-in-law, Rajendra Hagawane, an NCP leader, was expelled from the party, following which police arrested multiple members of the family, including Hagawane and Vaishnavi's husband, Shashank. Both the Hagawanes and Kaspates are Marathas. At the meeting in Ahilyanagar, participants condemned the dowry system and proposed an 11-point wedding code of conduct. Among the resolutions were: avoiding lavish weddings with no pre-wedding shoots, limiting the guest list to 100-200 people and using traditional musicians instead of DJs. Crucially, the community resolved to boycott weddings where pre-wedding photo or video shoots are displayed during ceremonies. 'Dowry must be avoided and the money should instead be kept as a fixed deposit in the girl's name,' the participants suggested. B Dhumal, an author and entrepreneur, who participated in the meeting, said: 'This incident has awakened the entire community. We deliberated over the issue and came up with suggestions. After compiling them, we have drawn up a code of conduct for weddings in the community.' Others who participated in the meeting include NCP MLA Chetan Tupe, former mayors of Pune Ankush Kakde and Rajlaxmi Bhosale, former corporator Shrikant Shirole, and Maratha activist Rajendra Kondhare. Shirole said, 'Middle class families often emulate the rich and get trapped in loans and thereby incur stress.' Bhosale added, 'Daughters-in-law must know that they will be supported by their families if they are harassed.' Members of the committee have now decided to visit different localities to spread awareness, 'as the community needs to adopt change on its own,' said Tanpure. But will the community follow a code that lacks legal backing? 'A large part of the community is not economically well off – for them this code will be convenient. As for the rich, if the poor decide not to support them, they will have to fall in line eventually,' said Dhumal. Sakal Maratha Samaj convenor Chandrakant Gade Patil, also a participant of the meeting, added, 'It is possible to hold weddings on a small scale once social pressure builds. During COVID-19, many did it successfully.' Marathas comprise over 30 per cent of the state's population. The community is also politically active with most public representatives including MLAs and MPs emerging from here. Over the past few years, the economically influential and politically connected community members have seen organising big fat weddings, attended by thousands. Earlier, on May 26, prominent Maratha families and political leaders convened in Pune to express concern over the culture of extravagant weddings, especially when coupled with demands for dowry. Reflecting on the way forward, Pune Congress chief Arvind Shinde said, 'The community has resolved to socially boycott families who harass their daughters-in-law. No one will marry into such families.' It now remains to be seen if this momentum for reform will sustain.
Time of India
30-04-2025
- General
- Time of India
Maratha War Memorial in Pune Cantonment to be repaired after years of neglect
Pune: The state public works department has decided to begin restoration work on Maratha War Memorial situated at the intersection of Coyaji (formerly Elphinstone Road) and Moledina Road. Currently, the memorial, spread over 5,000sqft, lies in utter neglect, covered in weeds and shrouded in layers of dust. The iron grills around the compound have been affected by the ravages of time. Besides, the base of the iconic cannons has suffered damage, too. The memorial was built to honour Maratha soldiers who lost their lives in World War I. The then Prince of Wales, Prince Edward, had laid the foundation stone of the structure in 1921. A senior official from the public works department told TOI, "As per the procedure, we will soon give the work order to a private agency. Our aim is to start the work before monsoon. We have also received the requisite NOC from Pune Cantonment Board (PCB)." Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Google Brain Co-Founder Andrew Ng, Recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo Activists blamed PCB for not doing basic maintenance work due to lack of funds. "It is one of the oldest memorials in the city. But it was neglected by the cantonment board for years. Therefore, we pursued the matter with city MP and minister of state for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol, who sanctioned Rs 8 lakh from his fund," said activist, Rajabhau Chavan, who is the president of Sakal Maratha Samaj (Cantonment). A senior official from the PCB told TOI, "We will depute our technical staffers to monitor the repair work." Akash Chavan, the president of Sakal Maratha Samaj, said, "It's a long-pending demand as no agency had carried out repair work in the past. We have asked the PWD to carry out basic repair work. But apart from that, it is essential to do beautification work. We will pursue the matter with the authorities concerned."
