14 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
II
“Satyagraha of Untouchables at Mahad
“At a conference of Mahars, Mangs, Bhangis, etc., held at Mahad in Kolaba District in March last, the delegates were prohibited by orthodox people from using the water of the village tank and the prohibition is reported to have resulted in a criminal case against those who took the law into their own hands. Since this incident there has been some excitement among the Untouchables of Bombay in which Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, Bar-at-Law, has been taking the lead.
In connection with this, a meeting of about a thousand Untouchables was held at Sir Cowasji Jehangir Hall under the presidency of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar on the afternoon of October 30. The president explained the facts which led to the incident at Mahad and which compelled the Untouchables to stand up for the protection of their rights. A resolution was passed by which it was decided to hold a conference at Mahad on December 25 in order to establish their right of using water at the public tank and in the event of any prohibition to launch a Satyagraha movement. About Rs. 570 were collected at the meeting. There was also a suggestion from the audience to launch a similar compaign in connection with a temple at Amravati in the middle of November.” [1]
1 : Source Material Vol. I, P. 13.