Price: Re. 1 ML Update A CPI(ML) Weekly News Magazine

Vol. 14 No. 26 21 - 27 JUNE 2011

Nationwide Call to Protest on 26 June, Anniversary of the Emergency Combat Corruption, Resist Repression! Save Democracy, Save India! n 26 June 1975 the then Congress government Oimposed the infamous Emergency, suspending or repression. BJP-ruled states such as Karnataka, all civil liberties, muzzling voices of dissent, jailing Gujarat,not offer Chhattisgarh any credible and resistance Uttarakhand to either are corruptionnotorious opponents and attempting to throttle democracy. for some of the worst instances of corporate plunder This June, 36 years since that black day, we can of natural resources, and for severe repression on experience all the symptoms of an undeclared people’s resistance and crackdown on democratic Emergency. rights. Be it Forbesganj in NDA-ruled Bihar, Bhatta Once again, democratic protests are being out- Parsaul in BSP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Jagatsinghpur lawed. Spaces of protest are being declared out of in BJD-ruled Odisha or Jaitapur in Congress-ruled bounds. Peaceful protestors are brutally assaulted Maharashtra, people’s movements against corporate and evicted, even in the national capital. People’s land grab and forced eviction are being met with the movements against corporate plunder and land grab same naked police brutality and bullets. declared illegal and their basic democratic right to war on democracy, the ruling class opposition’s formare facing unions intensified of their choice repression. is met Workers’ with victimization strikes are completeWhile the bankruptcy Congress-UPA on the Government question of has combating declared and repression. Voices of conscience who challenge corruption and repression has been exposed. It is state repression and corporate loot are branded up to the people of the country to build and sustain ‘seditious’ and jailed. Mass movements against cor- the movement against the all-pervasive rot of cor- ruption are branded as a threat to democracy in ruption and the all-out assault on our freedom and order to justify repression. democracy. Almost every month, there are fresh revelations of n 26 June this year, remembering the Emergency huge scams involving a nexus between ruling UPA Oand people’s resistance to it, let us pledge to Ministers and private corporations. The oil scam - revealed by the CAG is the latest. The Government, in mocracy. the dock for unprecedented corruption, black money, throw off the yoke of repression and demand de Let us demand that the draconian laws like Se- plunder of the country’s natural resources and drain dition, AFSPA, MCOCA, CSPSA and UAPA, which of the public exchequer, is seeking to silence public anger by intimidating people’s protest. Following should have no place in an independent and the brutal police assault on sleeping protestors are democratic India, be scrapped! Ramlila Grounds in Delhi, UPA Minister Kapil Sibal Let us declare our defiance to all attempts to muz- declared, “Let this be a lesson to everybody.” In this zle the voices of protest! Let us resist and defy each declaration we can hear the footfalls of Emergency. and every attempt to ban popular protests and This is the UPA’s open threat to all forces of struggle place the spaces of protest out of bounds! against corruption, all those who cherish and defend Let the rulers know that people’s aspirations democracy. for liberty, for democracy, for rights, cannot be At the same time, the ruling class ‘opposition’ can- silenced by batons or bullets! Farbisganj Murders: Movement In- Dalits and Adivasis tensifies in Bihar against the Killings in Gujarat Gravely Intensifying the State-wide agitation that the BJP is successfully implement- Attacked by BJP in Bihar demanding punishment to the ing its communal agenda using the An attack on a mass scale was con- killers of four innocent villagers (from Nitish Kumar’s Govt. ducted by the MLA Raman Patkar from minority community) of Bhajanpur in Post-dharna, a CPI(ML) delegation Umargaam constituency in Valsad dis- Forbesganj the CPI(ML) held militant comprising comrades Murtaza Ali, trict on the villagers of Ghoriparha and protest dharnas in Patna and all dis- Nageswar Paswan, Gurudev Das, Gadikparha villages on 13 June 2011. trict headquarters of the State on 15 Lalan Singh and Ramnarayan Singh Around 150-200 goons and BJP mem- June 2011. Through these protest handed over a 6-point demand letter bers, wielding various arms, led by the programmes the Party has demanded to the Bihar CM at the DM’s office. The MLA attacked these villagers, mainly that all accused involved in the heinous memorandum demands compensation Dalits and Adivasis. This resulted in firing including BJP’s councillor Ashok for peasants’ acquired land at current serious injuries to several people who Agrawal, Araria’s District Magistrate, market rate and restoration of the road are now undergoing treatment. These Superintendent of Police and all po- connecting Bhajanpura and Sheetalpu- incidents have already been reported to the District Magistrate and SSP repeat- lice men involved in the murders be ra, apart from the above mentioned edly but no action has been taken so far charged under section 302, arrested demands of the maha-dharna. by them, instead the complainants are immediately and put behind bars. Hundreds of CPI(ML) activists and being harassed by the administrative Agrarian labourers, farmers, stu- members led by comrades Ashok Singh officials too. CPI(ML) Central Commit- dents-youth and women participated (Arrah Dist. Committee member), and tee has given a memorandum to the in huge numbers at all the programmes others sat on dharna in front of the Union Home Minister in Delhi apprising that began with the slogan “Stop the DM’s office. A massive dharna was him of the dangerous situation. Drama of Judicial Enquiry, File Mur- organised at Sasaram led by CPI(ML) A day before this incident, on 12 der Charge against those Involved in State Committee member (SCM) June 2011, MLA Raman Patkar and his Forbesganj Police Firing”. Senior Party Comrade Arun Singh (also ex-MLA). four sons along with his accomplices leaders addressed the dharnas in dif- Dharna in front of DM’s office at Ja- conducted another attack on CPI(ML) ferent towns and cities. hanabad was addressed by CPI(ML) Liberation leader Kapila Ben. She is Addressing the maha-dharna (grand Politburo member Comrade Ram Jatan also continuing to undergo treatment sit-in protest) at Shaheed Bhagat Singh Sharma. Despite heavy rains at Arwal, even now. She was the CPI(ML) can- crossing near Gandhi Maidan in Patna, hundreds of marchers took out a protest didate in last elections. Comrade Saroj Chaubey (Central Com- march demanding punishment to the These are deliberate and organized mittee member, CPIML and AIPWA’s culprits of firing. Hundreds of people political attacks by the leaders of ruling National Vice President) said that two participated in dharna opposite DM’s BJP in Gujarat on CPI(ML) activists in incidents of brutal murders by police in office at Biharsharif. The dharna was order to crush the political opposition and struggles being led by the CPI(ML) Araria in just six months has unmasked led by CPI(ML) SCM Com. Surendra in that district. The attacks are par- the blatantly anti-women and commu- Ram and Mitranand Singh among oth- ticularly targeted against the CPI(ML) nal character of the present Govern- ers. At Gaya too the dharna spot was activists who contested elections at ment. She also mentioned that lives DM’s office where hundreds of people various levels including Parliament, and dignity of Dalit-Muslim women in protested led by District Secretary Com. Assembly, Zila Panchayat and Village JD(U)-BJP rule is completely insecure. Niranjan Kumar and AIPWA leader Panchayats. Comrade KD Yadav (Party CCM) ex- Reeta Barnawal among others. A huge During last elections BJP MLA Ra- posed Govt’s cunning and non-serious dharna was organised at DM’s office in man Patkar and his men regularly har- attitude in declaring judicial enquiry as Siwan which was addressed by SCMs assed and attacked CPI(ML) members it has not taken any action whatsoever and ex-MLAs comrades Amarnath and destroyed party posters, banners, against the perpetrators. Even basic Yadav and Satyadev Ram, Naimuddin and other election materials. These relief has not been extended to the Ansari and Amarjeet Kushwaha among incidents were duly reported to the victims, rather false cases has been others. The leaders here alleged that police and election officials and judi- slapped on hundreds of common vil- Nitish Kumar has becom a puppet in cial process is still going on for these lagers. He fully justified the demands the hands of rioting BJP. At Bettiah a crimes. These incidents provide the of the villagers. Dozens of other senior protest march was held led by Party background for current spree of attacks Party leaders were also present at the leader Birendra Gupta. Despite inces- and intimidation. The ruling party there maha-dharna in Patna. The speakers sant rains at Bhagalpur the Party held is trying to muzzle the voices of political dissent by force and bloodshed. lambasted the Nitish Govt. for its ever the dharna. When CPI(ML)'s Valsad district increasing bureaucratic, undemocratic Dharnas were also held at DM’s committee Secretary Laxman Vadia and anti-people character completely offices in Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Sa- approached the Valsad DSP, Col- contrary to its pretensions of good- mastipur, Araria, Nawada, Begusarai, lector and Umargaam police station governance. In present Govt. the mon- Gopalganj, Chhapra, Bhabhua and for help and to seek justice, he was eybags and power-brokers are having other places demanding speedy justice not heard and arrogantly dismissed. a field day. The speakers also exposed to the victims and urging the agrarian Instead he found that a false counter the involvement of Dy. CM Sushil Modi labourers, students-youth and com- case was filed by the attackers against and BJP MLA Anandi Singh apart from mon people to intensify the agitation CPI(ML) activists. The police inspector BJP councillor Ashok Agrawal in the for punishment to the perpetrators of at Umargaam police station even told whole incident. Party leaders claimed firing at Forbesganj. the CPI(ML) leaders that "There is BJP 21 - 27 June 2011 ML Update page 2 rule in Umargaam, and if you people and that only upon the receipt of a copy Secretary of AIPWA) visited Nighasan will persist with the red-flag party here, of the FIR the body will be cremated. who was assured by the administra- I myself will have to shoot you!" Public pressure kept on increasing tion that it will take necessary action Now even Valsad's Party District and finally late in the night FIR was as demanded by us and owing to this Secretary Shri Laxmanbhai Vadia is filed against the thana chief and other assurance from the administration she receiving threats to his life by the local policemen of DIldar Nagar Thana. They requested the fasting comrades Krishna MLA and his men, while the attackers were charged under Sec.302 and 504. Adhikari and Kranti to break their fast. are still roaming free, wielding arms. In After that the Party leader and AIKM’s The fast ended with the declaration order to save his life, Comrade Laxman- State Convenor Comrade Ishwari that if a CBI enquiry is not instituted (to bhai Vadia had to flee from his house Prasad Kushwaha addressed the probe Sonam’s rape and murder) the and remain in hiding. agitating masses. The Party demanded CPI(ML) will call for Lakhimpur bandh Memoranda regarding these in- immediate arrest of the accused, CBI on 25 June. (Lucknow Bench of Alla- cidents have been sent to Gujarat’s enquiry of the whole incident and a habad High Court is hearing a PIL for Governor, Chief Justice of Gujarat High compensation of rupees ten lakh to CBI enquiry into Sonam’s case) Court, DG Police, Gujarat and many the family members of the deceased Cases of sexual assault against dalit other officials. So far, nothing has been Sambhu Kushwaha. women have recently come to light from done in this regard and the attackers The dharna was withdrawn only Ambedkar Nagar, Sultanpur, Deoria etc. are still intimidating and threatening when the district administration sus- Apart from this gang rapes of women people and supporters of CPI(ML) in pended all the accused and instituted a and minors along with murder and as- Umargaam region. magisterial inquiry. The Party declared sault on the victims of these rapes have that the struggle will go on till full justice been reported in last three days from UP Police Beat to is done. Lakhimpur, Muradabad, Barabanki, Death Sambhu It must be noted that sometime back Sultanpur, Lalitpur, Kannauj, Etah, this very accused thana chief (SO) Gorakhpur, Gonda, Basti, Sitapur, Firo- Kushwaha had physically assaulted complainants zabad, Kanpur, Fatehpur, Farrukhabad Militant Protests Held to at Jakhania in the presence of senior and Aligarh among some other places. Demand Justice officials on the occasion of janta diwas This is enough to expose the reality (people’s day) and slapped several ficti- of law and security of women in Uttar A Spate of Rapes, Mur- tious criminal cases against four lead- Pradesh, but the Mayawati Govt is so der and Physical Assault ers of Bhadaura who raised questions shameless that it is patting its own back in Just 3 Days regarding poor people. So far he has and praising itself on the question of law been able to save himself despite all and order in the State. 55 year old Sambhu Kushwaha, a his crime due to the patronage received Mayawati Govt is fully responsible peasant by occupation, hailing from from the BSP leaders. CPI(ML) warned for this grave escalation in crime and Phulli village under Dildar Nagar PS of that if the suspended SO and other criminal cases as many involved in Gazipur district, was brutally beaten to policemen are not immediately arrested crime were gifted ministerial and legis- death in police custody at Dildar Nagar the agitation will be intensified. lature posts. Without public pressure no police station on the night of 6-7 June In a statement issued at Lucknow on report is filed and the police is becoming 2011. Enraged at the police barbarism 7 June, the Party’s State Committee notorious for protecting the rapists. The the CPI(ML) Gazipur unit held an angry said that the Mayawati Govt has failed CPI(ML) said that such a careless and dharna at the Kotwali police station on to rein in the uniformed criminals as ineffective Govt has no right to remain 7 June. in power and it must resign. Sambhu Kushwaha and his son Bi- one after another ghastly and extremely jendra Kushwaha had a minor scuffle horrifying crimes are perpetrated by TN Uniform Syllabus with their neighbour on 6 June for which the UP police. Several Peasants have Tamilnadu resembles a battle ground the local police detained and took them been killed recently to forcibly acquire where parents are on the streets, rais- to the thana (PS) same day. At night the their land and a spate of rapes - 11 ing slogans, picketing schools, and SO (thana chief) along with remaining within a period of 3 days - and killings gheraoing state education offices. Last police personnel thrashed-up the father of women and children has shocked the academic year too witnessed similar and son in a murderous way. Sambhu entire nation. Many of them gang rapes situation and now after change in gov- Kushwaha succumbed to the assault. involving dalit women and minor girls. ernment nothing much has changed for When the police took him to hospital In one terrible incident, a minor girl's parents. Last year the protests centred doctors refused to admit him as he was eye was stabbed - but police refused to around excessive charges by private brought dead. register an FIR against those who raped schools violating the Govindarajan Party’s district committee which and stabbed her! Mayawati's UP is be- Committee’s fee structure, this year the was holding its meeting when it got coming more and more dangerous for demand is scrapping of Ravirajapandi- the news, rushed to the place where women every day, with Ministers, MLAs an committee’s fee structure. Allegedly, post-mortem examination was being and police all neck-deep in crimes the private schools are collecting fees done. The local BSP leader was trying against women, thereby emboldening three times higher than even the Ravi- to shield the thana chief when the Party other offenders too. rajapandian committee’s fee structure leaders tried to lodge an FIR on the On 26 June – anti-Emergency Day – which is already 5% to 15% more than report of deceased’s son Bijendra. At 4 the Party will organise forceful protest the Govindarajan Committee. Last year p.m. a dharna was started at the thana in Dildar Nagar to press for punishment the fees details were at least available gate led by Comrades Ram Pravesh to the criminals. in the public domain. This year though, Kushwaha and Rajendra Vanvasi and Nighasan Update: it has been sent only to the school man- the administration was warned that the Hunger strike, that started on 15th agements and the parents are left in dharna will continue until cases are filed June was lifted on 17th night after 3 the dark on the new fee structure. Even against the SO and police personnel days. Comrade Meena Tiwari (General after repeated demands from various 21 - 27 June 2011 ML Update page 3 R.N.I. No. 69161/98, P.R. No. DL(E)-01/5084/2009 - 2011 Posting at NDPSO ML Update, Vol. XIV, No. 26; 21 - 27 JUNE 2011 If undelivered, please return it to: To : ML Update U-90, Shakarpur, Delhi - 110 092

quarters to make the new fee structure public, Jayalalitha Rajasthan: CPI(ML)’s Udaipur District Conference Govt is yet to make it public. was held on 24-25 May at Sindhi Dharmashala in Udaipur. AISA organised a demonstration on 16 June before the Open session of the Conference discussed “Challenges office of state education office in Chennai and demanded before the Left Movement and our Task”. Comrade Srilata withdrawal of the new fee structure. On 19 June, AISA or- Swaminathan, CPI(ML) CCM and AIPWA President was the ganised a fasting protest in Coimbatore in which over 300 main speaker. Party’s State Secretary Comrade Mahendra participated. Both these protest programs received wide Chaudhary also addressed the Conference. Comrade Chan- coverage in the state. dradeo Ola was re-elected District Secretary. Conference Jharkhand Rally elected a 17-member executive. A massive ‘majdoor ekta rally’ was organized at Ramgarh Long Live Veteran Comrade on 10th June, jointly by the district units of AICCTU Ram- garh and Hazaribagh. Nearly three thousand organized and Lal Singh Kushwaha! unorganized workers, about half of them women, from coal Senior-most veteran communist leader of the Chambal mines and rural areas participated in the rally. The workers region, Comrade Lal Singh Kushwaha, passed away at the first assembled at ‘rescue bhawan’ and then marched with age of 104 on 14 June 2011. He breathed his last in Gingrikh banners and flags to the local Dist. Administration Office village of Mehgaon district. braving heavy rains and storm. The gathering at the DC office He was one of the founders of the communist movement in was addressed by Comrades Dipankar Bhattacharya (CPIML the Gwalior zone (Bhind, Muraina, Gwalior). On 18 December General Secretary), Swapan Mukherjee (AICCTU National 2009 at the age of 102, he was felicitated at the inauguration GS), Vinod Singh (Party’s leader and MLA from Bagodar of the Bhind party office. constituency), Subhendu Sen (AICCTU State Secretary), He had been active throughout the freedom struggle, Deodeep Singh Diwakar (Party’s leader among steel work- defying the colonial regime’s ban on political activity by ers, Bokaro), Upendra Singh (Coal workers’ leader) apart organizing many mass meetings and other political actions. from others. The speakers highlighted the plight of working He was also active in resisting the feudal royalty (the Scindia class of the mineral rich area, especially those engaged in estate) which used to support the British. unorganized sector through contractors, who were not paid After the division of the CPI in 1964, he joined the newly- bare minimum wages to maintain a dignified living. formed CPI(M). The Naxalbari uprising disillusioned him with Com. Dipankar said that the govt. at the state and centre the CPI(M), and he helped build the CPI(ML) led by Charu has thrown away its mask of democracy to aid the corporate Mazumdar. When the party was underground he organ- houses in looting mineral wealth, spectrum and land of our ized peasantry and took up the challenge of party building country. He said that our country has reached a histori- among them. cal juncture when the struggles of peasants, workers and Later, he remained active in the IPF too. Remarkably, student-youth are uniting together over a common agenda he even campaigned for the party candidate from Gwalior against the rampant loot of the country’s resources by the throughout the campaign period in the last Assembly elec- corporate houses. As this takes a mass political dimension tions in MP, in spite of his advanced age and his ailing in the days to come, the revolutionary trade union move- health. ment should consciously step forward to lead the working Hearing of his demise, common people and communist class into this struggle. He also said that the discredited UPA activists thronged to bid him a last farewell. CPI(ML) Control Govt. has no moral right to remain in power after the large Commission member Comrade Devendra Singh Chauhan scale scams involving its ministers have came to limelight. and Bhind Zila Committee Secretary Comrade Suraj Rekha He called upon the masses to observe June 25th and 26th Tripathi placed the red flag on his body, amidst slogans befit- as anti-emergency protest days and expose the UPA Govt.’s ting a revolutionary’s last journey. On 25 June, a memorial plan to re-enact a similar situation in the country for curbing meet will be held at Bhind in his memory. the rising voices against corruption. Com. Swapan Mukherjee called upon the workers to work hard in the campaign for Red Salute to the departed Com- the 8th National Conference of AICCTU to be held in Bhillai, rade, who lived the longest life Chattisgarh, in November this year. full of revolutionary spirit! Edited, published and printed by S. Bhattacharya for CPI(ML) Liberation from U-90, Shakarpur, Delhi-92; printed at Bol Publication, R-18/2, Ramesh Park, Laxmi Nagar, Delhi-92; Phone:22521067; fax: 22442790, e-mail: [email protected], website: www.cpiml.org