By Shweta Ahire
Studies have shown that whenever an outfit raised by the marginalised gains prominence, violence is utilised to splinter them and keep them in “their place”. Often this violence is in the form of riots. The physical violence then culminates into structural violence which has serious economic, political and cultural implications.
Worli riots rocked the heart of central Mumbai exactly 50 years ago. They began in the BDD chawls on January 5, 1974, during the lifespan of the revolutionary Dalit Panthers, and altered the course of the Dalit movement.
The riots continued over two months in phases, from January 5 to February 16 and then from April 6 to April 19. Hindu and Buddhist chawls, which were adjacent to or facing each other were the epicentre. Sticks, stones, bricks, acid bulbs, and soda bottles were all readily used as projectiles thrown from terraces and corners.
The Maharashtra government ordered a judicial inquiry into the matter, and the one-man Inquiry Commission, chaired by Justice S B Bhasme, submitted its findings in 1976.
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