Police resorts to baton charge to control activists of Sambhaji Brigade

Activists of the Sambhaji Brigade and other organisations protesting against a lecture of controversial right-wing leader Sambhaji Bhide in Maharashtra's Jalna district were Sunday baton-charged, police said. Bhide was in Jalna, over 400 kilometres from here, for a lecture organised at around 10:30 am by his organisation Shiv Pratishthan Hindustan in the Teen Murti temple in Sambhaji Nagar area, police said.

Activists of the Sambhaji Brigade, Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh and other organisations protested and tried to disrupt the event, following which police had to resort to a baton charge, an official said. At least 56 protesters from these groups were detained under the Maharashtra Police Act at Sadar Bazar police station and later released, the official added.

After his lecture in Jalna, Bhide left for Aurangabad Sunday afternoon, the official informed. Bhide and his supporters have been accused of involvement in the caste violence in Bhima Koregaon in Pune district on January 1 last year which left one person dead and property worth several crore rupees damaged. He has, however, refuted these allegations.

(With inputs from agencies.)