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Journalism of Courage
IN JULY 1660, the firing of a cannon thrice from the Vishalgad Fort in Kolhapur district had come as a sigh of relief for the Maratha forces, who were battling the army of Bijapur’s sultanate, as it signalled that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had entered the fort safely.
Exactly 364 years later, on July 14, a descendant of Shivaji again made news at the fort. That day, on the call of Chhatrapati Sambhajiraje, a former Rajya Sabha MP, his supporters who call themselves “Shiv bhakts” gathered to remove encroachments allegedly harming the sanctity of the fort. Violence followed, resulting in the vandalisation of properties owned by Muslim residents and a local mosque.
The vandalism happened in a village called Gajapur, located 3 km from the fort, whose residents say they have no link to the encroachments at the fort.
After the violence, Sambhajiraje himself reached the spot and announced that he would not leave till the encroachments were removed. He claimed that there were 158 encroachments in total, of which only six were under litigation in court. “Why is no action being taken against the rest?” he asked.
Finally, it was after a phone call from Chief Minister Eknath Shinde assuring Sambhajiraje of action that he left. Later that evening, Shinde himself visited Kolhapur to take stock of the situation.
While the Mahayuti government, which proclaims itself the true claimant to Shivaji’s legacy, was quick to act, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi was left with red faces as Sambhajiraje’s father Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj is the Congress Lok Sabha MP from Kolhapur.
While condemning the violence and demanding action against the perpetrators, Shahu Maharaj blamed the administration and police for it, saying they had failed to take the issue “seriously”. “Had the administration acted earlier on the direction to remove the encroachments, the violence could have been avoided,” he said.
Shivaji has always been at the heart of Maharashtra’s political discourse, with his life, historical events and forts often dragged into it.
The issue of encroachments at the Vishalgad Fort, including shops, hotels and private residences, has been raging for a few years now. The most contentious structures are those around the Malik Rehan Dargah, located about a kilometre from the fort, which dates back to the 14th century and is visited by devotees of all religions. Earlier, animal sacrifice was held at the dargah, but it has been discontinued since an order of the Bombay High Court.
Having sanctioned Rs 1.17 crore for the purpose of clearing the illegal structures at the fort, the Mahayuti government of the Shiv Sena, BJP and NCP claimed in December last year that it had managed to remove encroachments at its base.
A staffer at the Kolhapur District Collector’s office claimed that after a number of residents who had earlier lived in these structures moved out following the ban on animal sacrifice, which robbed many of their livelihood, these structures had been taken over by miscreants. They had received frequent complaints regarding the misuse of these premises by alcoholics, the official said.
On July 9, Sambhajiraje announced that he and his supporters would act against the encroachments, as the administration had failed to do the same.
Following Sambhajiraje’s announcement, a Hindu right-wing outfit performed a ‘maha aarti’ at the base of the fort. Its members have denied being a part of the July 14 violence.
Sambhajiraje has said there was no communal angle to what happened that day. “We want to remove all encroachments, including those by Hindus and Muslims. I know what secularism is and nobody needs to teach me that,” he said.
His father Shahu Maharaj, who got the ticket over Sambhajiraje in the Lok Sabha elections, said he stood firmly against any act of violence. “It is my responsibility to stand with those who face injustice,” he said, announcing that he will be visiting areas affected by the violence.
Several of his colleagues in the Congress have also come out against the violence. The party announced that a delegation led by Naseem Khan will be visiting Maharashtra DGP Rashmi Shukla demanding strict action in the matter. Leader of the Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar claimed that such incidents were being “orchestrated” ahead of the coming Assembly polls.
Prior to the Lok Sabha elections, it was rumoured that Sambhajiraje may contest on the ticket of his newly formed outfit, Swarajya. While he stayed out then, there is talk again that he could contest the coming Assembly polls.
Former Lok Sabha MP and AIMIM leader Imtiyaz Jaleel has announced a protest march in Kolhapur later this week.
On whether the incident showed differences between his father and him, Sambhajiraje said his father was only fulfilling the responsibility of an elected representative, and that he too denounced violence in any form. “Had the administration acted in time, nothing of this sort would have happened,” Sambhajiraje reiterated.
