Babasaheb Ambedkar worship on at 'seized' Indu Mills in Mumbai
Published: Tuesday, Dec 13, 2011, 8:00 IST
By Alok Deshpande | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA
The Indu Mills plot, captured by the activists of the Republican Sena
on December 6, has already assumed a shrine status, at least
symbolically.
In fact, the holed up activists are demanding that a 'Statue of
Equality' be built on the erstwhile mill land.
On Mahaparinirvan Day, around 800 activists barged in to the mill land
to claim what they believe is rightfully theirs. Busts of Dr Babasaheb
Ambedkar and Gautam Buddha were kept inside, as Buddhist monks
performed prayers inside.
Ever since, hundreds of Ambedkar followers are thronging the place on
a daily basis for worshipping the busts. The monks are living inside,
while a few policemen can be seen sitting at the entrance guarding the
mill.
"The capture of Indu Mills was not carried out by certain community,
but by followers of Babasaheb from all castes and religions who
participated in the act. On Sunday, our leader Anandraj Ambedkar held
discussions with an architect about the future plan and we have
decided to construct a huge 'Statue of Equality' on the mill land,"
said Ramesh Jadhav, Mumbai chief of Republican Sena.
Along with the plan of statue, a world-class memorial of Dr Ambedkar
is on the agenda.
"There's been a long-pending demand to build a memorial that will
attract people from all over the world. If the government does not
agree to it, then the people from over the world are ready to
contribute for the cause and the work will be completed with their
help," said Kashinath Nikalje, Maharashtra chief of Republican Sena.
While making it clear that occupants will not vacate the mill land at
any cost, Jadhav said, "If the administration uses force against us,
then the repercussions of their action will be felt all over
Maharashtra." He recalled that in spite of repeated requests to the
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to provide dustbins and
mobile toilets for the benefit of people inside, the civic body hasn't
bothered.
Inside Indu Mills, each and every structure bears the slogans against
Congress-led state government for not transferring the mill land. At
the same time, hundreds of followers of Ambedkar are visiting the
place as a mark of support to the action.
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