On 1 January 1818, a small British battalion mainly comprising Dalit soldiers from the oppressed Mahar caste defeated an army of dominant-caste Peshwas at Koregaon. The battle gained a legendary status, representing a victory not just in Bhima Koregaon, but against caste injustices perpetrated by the Peshwas. The Mahar community celebrates the anniversary as a festival called “Valour Day,” and many make an annual pilgrimage to an obelisk at the site that memorialises the battle. During its bicentennial celebrations, on 1 January 2018, mobs carrying saffron flags attacked the predominantly Dalit gathering at Bhima Koregaon. The Pune police registered at least 22 separate first information reports detailing the violence, including one accusing two Hindu extremists, Manohar Bhide and Milind Ekbote, of instigating the mobs. A fact-finding report commissioned by the Pune police even identified the duo as the “main conspirators” behind the “pre-planned attack” at Bhima Koregaon. A police official…

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