Ambedkar followers barge into mill demanding land for memorial

MUMBAI: Over 700 followers of Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar today forcefully entered the premises of Indu Mill in central Mumbai, demanding the mill land be alloted for construction of a memorial for the Dalit leader prompting the police to baton-charge the protestors.
Lakhs of people have gathered at the Chaitya bhoomi, the place, where the architect of the Indian Constitution was cremated, to pay their respects on his death anniversary.
"Over 700 followers barged into Indu Mill premises demanding that the land be immediately allotted for the construction of the memorial," said a police officer.
As the crowd removed the barricades, put up at the mill compound, police tried to stop them. However, in order to control the unruly crowd, police resorted to mild lathi-charge, he said.
Activists of the 'Republican Sena', led by its leader Anandraj Ambedkar, removed the barricades, as the activists carried the busts of Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar and Gautam Buddha, which they claimed, have now been installed on the mill premises.
"We are now creating a Buddha Vihar on the land, where around hundred 100 Buddhist monks will perform prayers," Anandraj Ambedkar told reporters.