Sambhaji Bhide

Sambhaji Bhide is a Hindutva activist from Maharashtra. Bhide, a native of Sangli district, obtained a MSc degree in physics (Gold medalist) from Savitribai Phule Pune University, and worked for a period as a lecturer at Fergusson College in Pune. He left this position to become a full-time worker for the Hindu-nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, before leaving to form his own organisation, the Shiv Pratishthan Hindustan, in the late 1980s. The organisation aimed to spread the teachings of Shivaji and his son Sambhaji.[1]

He has a number of followers in Sangli, Kolhapur, Pune, Belgaum, Mumbai and Satara.[1] He was described in a 2018 media report as being close to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In 2008, his followers ransacked movie halls showing the film, Jodhaa Akbar;[2] Bhide was arrested for his role in the unrest.[1]

In June 2018, Bhide was reported as having said at a rally that eating the fruits of a mango tree from his orchard had helped couples conceive male children. An advisory committee under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) (PCPNDT) Act asked the Nashik Municipal Corporation to file a court case against him.[3][4]

On 2 January 2018, a First Information Report was filed against him and Milind Ekbote for inciting the 1 January 2018 violence on Dalits in Bhima Koregaon.[5] Sambhajirao claimed that the roots of the violence lay in the Elgar Parishad of 31 December 2017. He demanded that leaders such as Prakash Ambedkar, who had spoken at the event be arrested.[6] In August, a petition was filed before the Bombay High Court seeking his arrest for his role in the Bhima Koregaon violence.[5]

References
  1. "Many friends of Sambhaji Bhide: Bhima Koregoan riots accused enjoys massive social media following, including Tushar Damgude - Firstpost". www.firstpost.com. Retrieved 2018-08-31.
  2. "Sambhaji Bhide and Milind Ekbote: the two who brought Mumbai to a halt". Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved 2018-08-31.
  3. "Sambhaji Bhide in trouble over his 'mangoes for sons' remarks". Moneycontrol. Retrieved 2018-08-31.
  4. "Committee asks Nashik civic body to move court against Sambhaji Bhide". The Indian Express. 2018-07-14. Retrieved 2018-08-31.
  5. "Bhima Koregaon Violence: Petition Before Bombay HC Seeking Arrest Of Sambhaji Bhide | Live Law". Live Law. 2018-08-31. Retrieved 2018-08-31.
  6. "Bhima-Koregaon violence: Hindutva leader Sambhaji Bhide seeks Prakash Ambedkar's arrest - Firstpost". www.firstpost.com. Retrieved 2018-08-31.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.