Party demanding Ambedkar memorial barges into mill

Mumbai: More than 800 activists of the Republican Sena, a party of Dalits (low-caste members), broke police barricades to storm into a mill compound in central Mumbai's Dadar to demand the construction of a memorial to B.R. Ambedkar, the architect of India's constitution.

Police had to baton charge the surging crowd as party activists barged into the premises of Indu Mills demanding that the land be immediately allotted for the construction of the memorial.

The activists, led by Republican Sena leader and Ambedkar's grandson, Anandraj Ambedkar, carried busts of Dr Ambedkar and Gautam Buddha, which they claimed had now been installed in the compound.

"We are now creating a Buddha Vihar [monastery] on the land where around 100 Buddhist monks will perform prayers," Ambedkar told reporters.

He said Dalits have been asking the Maharashtra government to allot 12.5 acres of the Indu Mill land which is under the control of the central government.

"However, neither the state nor the central government has initiated any steps in this regard, displaying their bias against us," he said.

That is why they had decided to take possession of the land on the death anniversary of Dr Ambedkar.

"We have occupied this mill land and shall immediately take steps to construct an international memorial for Babasaheb Ambedkar, a Vihar for Buddhist monks and other facilities for his followers who come here all year round," said Anandraj Ambedkar.

Meanwhile, Shivaji Park police said there was no baton charge at the site and all the activists were peacefully evicted from the mill compound.

Almost all political parties, including the various factions of the Republican Party of India (RPI) as well as the Ramdas Athawale faction which forged an alliance with the BJP and Shiv Sena recently, have been demanding the transfer of the Indu Mills land for the expansion of the Chaityabhoomi on the Dadar sea face where the last rites of Ambedkar were performed.

Thousands of his followers visit the site every year to pay homage to their revered leader.