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Journalism of Courage
In 1972, an incident of two Dalit women being flogged for trying to drink water from a well in Maharashtra’s Parbhani district had shaken the state. Following this incident, an agitation was led by Dalit activists J V Pawar, Namdeo Dhasal, and Raja Dhale, who went on to launch the Dalit Panthers organisation that redefined Ambedkarite politics in the state.
Among the Dalit youths who had then organised the protests in Parbhani over the incident was Vijay Wakode. He subsequently joined the Dalit Panthers and became one of the key faces of Dalit activism in Parbhani for the next four decades.
Wakode died on December 16 this year in Parbhani, which saw unrest in the wake of alleged desecration of the statue of Babasaheb Ambedkar. Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi visited Wakode’s family during his visit to Parbhani on December 22.
Violence erupted in Parbhani on December 10 after a man allegedly desecrated a replica of the Constitution near an Ambedkar statue in the town, sparking anger among the Dalit community. While a peaceful protest was held against it, some acts of vandalism were reported later that escalated tensions in Parbhani.
Earlier, on December 10, a protest march by Sakal Hindu Samaj was organised against “atrocities on Hindus” in Bangladesh. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has denied any links between the two incidents.
On December 16, a 35-year-old Dalit man, Somnath Suryawanshi, died in judicial custody due to “shock following multiple injuries”. Suryawanshi had been arrested by the police in connection with vandalism following the alleged desecration of the Constitution replica.
As the row snowballed, Wakode addressed a protest event, appealing for peace the same day. While speaking at the rally, he was said to have complained of feeling “uncomfortable”. He was admitted to the hospital later and was said to have died of a “heart attack”.
Wakode’s son Ashish has alleged that his father died due to “pressure exerted by the police” as they were managing crowds, and has demanded justice. Gandhi met and interacted with Wakode’s family while he was in Parbhani to meet Suryawanshi’s family.
In his interaction with Wakode’s family, Gandhi was said to have promised to raise the issue in the Lok Sabha.
Wakode was an active member of the agricultural labourers union in Parbhani. He was also part of the Samvidhan Bachao Samiti in the state and led several protests for the cause of “saving the Constitution”.
Dalit Panthers
Dalit Panthers was formed on July 9, 1972 in Maharashtra. Inspired by the American Black Panthers movement for civil rights, Pawar and Dhasal who were both writer-poets decided to form the Dalit Panthers.
The Dalit Panthers’ activists would go to villages to hold protests, where incidents of atrocities against Dalits had been reported. They also developed a base across Mumbai, especially in areas like Matunga Labour Camp, Naigaon-Dadar, Chembur, Ghatkopar, Sewri, Parel and Worli. The organsiation also challenged the Shiv Sena in local politics.
