Osama Rawal
On 28th September, various Left and Ambedkarite organisations, held an ‘Anti-Fascist Convention’ in Dombivli, Thane. The event was reportedly disrupted by individuals identifying themselves as BJP-RSS activists, who allegedly attempted to forcibly obstruct the proceedings.
According to the the CPI (ML) Red Star statement, physical assault was averted only due to timely police intervention, and the disruption was triggered by objections to the use of the phrase “RSS-BJP Fascism” in the convention’s title.
Mandar Hadvi, former BJP corporator and ex-opposition leader of the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC), told Jai Maharashtra that the organisers had not obtained police permission for the convention.
He also said while the organisers were free to express their views, “there was no need to oppose our ideology,” which he described as his primary objection.
Akshay, Central Committee member of CPI (ML) Red Star and one of the organisers of the convention, told The Observer Post that the event was on a small scale and did not require police permission. “Even if police permission were needed, what right do these individuals have to obstruct a programme? Law and order is the responsibility of the police, and no FIR has been registered against us,” he said.
He added that while the organisers have held similar ‘All India Anti-Fascist Conventions’ across the country with no obstruction, the Dombivli event was confronted by around 100–150 people attempting to stop it. “The police prevented them from entering, but they tried their best to disrupt the programme, even throwing away our flags and other materials. Without police intervention, it could have escalated into physical assault,” Akshay said.
When the The Observer Post attempted to contact Hadvi through repeated calls and messages, he did not respond. We had sought his comments on what the primary objection to the convention was and what the intended objective of the scuffle or obstruction might have been. His response was still awaited at the time of filing this report, and the story will be updated if and when he replies.
According to one of the participants, Manohar Chavan, the convention began around 11 a.m. and proceeded smoothly for nearly an hour and a half. “Suddenly, we heard loud noises and slogans from outside,” he recalled. A group of individuals had gathered and began sloganeering near the venue.
Chavan noted that police personnel had already reached the spot even before the event started. “We assumed it was routine surveillance, but a strange thing stuck the police were in uniform, but we did not give it much thought.”
The situation escalated around 12:30 p.m., when these people circled the venue and tried to stop the organisers from continuing the convention, they began demanding that the police stop the convention. “The police then came to us and blocked the agitators from entering the hall. There was a scuffle outside, but the program itself continued without interruption and concluded as planned,” he added.
After the event, police officials escorted the participants out of the venue safely. “Later, the organizers went to the police station and requested that a complaint be filed against those who tried to disrupt the convention,” he added. Though no FIR has been filed yet.
Ganesh Jumadvad, Senior Police Inspector of Ramnagar Police Station did not respond to calls or text messages seeking clarification on whether an FIR had been filed, what action—if any—was taken against those involved in the scuffle, and whether police permission was required for the event. This report will be updated if and when a response is received.
Chavan underlined that holding a convention critical of the government or its ideology is a democratic right. “When we exercise this right, we are policed and even pushed to the verge of being assaulted by hooligans. On this occasion, at least, the police ensured our safety—but this is not always the case,” he said. Chavan added that such incidents reflect a broader offensive on public and intellectual spaces, which are increasingly being occupied and controlled by the RSS and BJP.
‘This’ the CPI (ML) Red Star said “another telltale example for the intensifying fascist offensive in the country, especially in Mumbai, the citadel of reactionary corporate capital.”
