Tighten law and order machinery

The Bhima Koregaon violence led to the death of a 28-year-old man and left four others injured. The violence spread in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra. The troublemakers in the state must be dealt with stern action by the Maharashtra government irrespective of their affiliations. The law and order is a state subject. So, it is the duty of Maharashtra government to contain violence and damage to the public property immediately. People protest following the Bhima Koregaon violence, which resulted in road blockades and vandalized city buses near Pune Station on January 2, 2018.It is alleged that right-wing Hindu leaders orchestrated the violence in Pune district that caused the death of a 28-year-old man during bicentennial celebrations of a British-era war. Hindu leaders were alleged to have stoked the violence. Gujarat MLA and SC/ST face in the state Jingesh Mevani and JNU Left-wing students’ leader Omar Khalid also allegedly made controversial statements. Whether it is right-wing Hindu leaders or SC/ST or Left-wing leaders, the law and order machineries must do their work to maintain peace, tranquility and harmony among different sections, castes and communities in the society. The social fabric must not be allowed to be torn for the sake of promoting political interests of any group. BJP is ruling in Maharashtra and at the Centre. Being the ruling party both in the state and at the Centre, the responsibility to maintain peace and harmony rests with it. But since the BJP came to power, social balance appears to have gone awry. A general perception among the weaker section of society is evolving that the BJP protects and promotes the interest of the upper castes and the well-off section in the society. This impression must not be allowed to exist. The state government in Maharashtra must act apolitically by setting up an enquiry committee to go into the whole affairs and whoever is found guilty must be punished stringently. It has also been experienced that some Dalit leaders become over-enthusiastic, aggressive and excited unnecessarily and sees every action of the Narendra Modi-led Government at the Centre as going against them. It is required in the prevailing situation in Maharashtra that no political party should fish in troubled water. The first and foremost responsibility of the state administration and political parties is to work together to restore normalcy as early as possible in the state. Maharashtra govt. must also act swiftly so that the situation may not go out of control. Mumbai is not merely a Metropolitan city but also the commercial capital of India. If the violence spreads in other parts of the state, a message would go out that India's commercial capital is not safe for doing business. So, it is the responsibility of social, political activists and state government to work together to restore normalcy immediately. No leader is above the law of the land. Whoever stokes violence or makes a controversial statement must be brought to book. More than 40 vehicles were burnt or damaged and several houses and shops torched at a time when hundreds of thousands of Dalits were visiting Bhima Koregaon to celebrate an 1818 war between the Peshwa and British. Many believe Dalit soldiers in the British army helped defeat the Peshwa, who was said to have instituted oppressive caste practices. The violence by anyone in society is not permissible. Caste and communal discord should be handled astutely by the govt.