Volume 2, No. 3, March 2001

 A Report From Garh Beta (Midnapore District)

– Prof. D.N. Vasishtha

Bengal is the land of revolts and revolutions. History testifies it, that, when the movements in Bengal and Punjab join together in revolt against the Central Indian Ruling Power, the centre stands nowhere. We have seen it during the Mauryan, Khilgi, Tughlaq and Mughal period. When the revolutionary Naxalbari movement started in Bengal, Punjab made good advance and gave inspiration to the entire north Indian subcontinent.

After the set back of Naxalbari, Bengal remained in a state of prolonged slumber, while Punjab rose up in a militant movement which gave much blood, but miserably failed, partly because of incorrect tactics. Bengal was in deep slumber and the balance of forces between the militants and the ruling powers remained unequal. Unless and until Punjab and Bengal start a revolutionary movement simultaneously against the Centre, no good results can be seen. During the Mauryan period under Ashoka, when there was a revolt in Taxila and Kunala, the Governor had to flee to Patna, and later Ashoka himself curbed the revolt with an iron hand and his Ahimsa Paramodharma was put aside. Later, under Jalal-ud-Din Khilgi, the Bengal Subedar lead a revolt, but was crushed; and moreover in 1657 the Bengal Subedar Shah Shuja started a revolt against the central power in Delhi, but it was quelled by the central armies under Suleman Shigah the grand son of Shah Jahan.

Let us now study the present movements in Bengal and see whether Bengal is coming out of its prolonged slumber or not, and where the revolutionary upheaval is leading. We are limiting our study to the Garh Beta block of Midnapore district. We toured this area in March last year to collect material and have interviewed hundreds of people; so that, some novels could be developed from this area too. Though primarily confined to one district, some times we would cross the limit and go into the villages of Bankura and Hoogli districts which are adjacent to Garh Beta (It is pronounced Gur Betta, where ‘T’ is dental).

We had heard the roar of the revolution at Naxalbari, but the same could not be said about Garh Beta block of Midnapore district. Yet, this area had once seen waves of revolts during the British period. This is the land of the Layak revolt of 1799, which engulfed the area from Garh Beta to Ghatal, including Guwaltore and Vishnupur, under the leadership of Rani Shiromani of Garh Beta and Achal Singh of Vishnupur alongwith Basant Roy of Chandra Kona Road. The Layaks are generally peasants, who had sacrificed their lives in this revolt.

According to the statements of old peasant women, there remained Communist Party of India influence in the area. Comrade Saroj Roy became the leader of the Communist Party, who had previously been an anarchist. He had been sentenced to life imprisonment at Port Blair on the Andaman island. Here four prisoners tried to break out of the cellular jail. While three were recaptured, Saroj Roy was able to escape with the help of a Muslim "Khalassi" (Boatman). During the 1940s movement, he had participated in all the struggles against the Britishers. After 1947 he concentrated in this area under the leadership of the Communist Party of India, i.e., in Garh Beta and Guwaltore. Land movements were started in this area in 1957, 1960 and 1970. Saroj Roy remained in the CPI, and was unable to advance further though he joined the CPI(M). He died later. Mainly students joined the CPM, and the peasantry remained with the CPI. Thus, there was no impact of Naxalbari here.

After the split in the party, some people of this area went to the CPM in 1972. Later the CPM government gave pattas of land and built the party after 1977. In the 1987 elections, inner party contradictions within the CPM came to the surface. In Midnapore district, the people have seen two groups within the CPM not only in every block, but also in every village. One group was under the leadership of Deepak Sarcar, district party secretary and Sushant Ghosh Transport minister of state, and the other group belonged to the lobby of Tarun Roy, a state committee member from the district, alongwith Kishan Pal, district committee member. Their sons were once collaborating with the BJP (but not now). Each group tried to bypass the other.

Let us go back to the first phase and analyse the real situation in this area, as, our media remains mum. As, we have already mentioned, the peasants remained in the CPI, while students joined the CPM, so, there was a Students Federation of India (SFI) in the district. In 1984-85, an organiser organised 35 students on Naxal politics in Kumar Pukar college (Hoogli) and they started going to the villages to propagate their politics issuing posters and pamphlets. Our readers are well aware, that, to curb any opposition, the CPM resorts to the most cruel methods, which even puts the Hitlerian Fascists to shame. When the CPM came to know of this group, it started harassment of these students in the Kumar Pukar college hostels. They would beat and torture the students and later even started their terror in the rural area against the village people who had sympathy with Naxal politics.

The people of village Kashtogurha Gram of Garh Beta block of Midnapore district have narrated the following:

In 1993, the youth of village Nalpa and Kashtogurha Gram, after recovering from this attack organised themselves into a central organising body and started organising the people in Dhaboni, Chanda and Bila. On 3rd May 1993, under the cover of the CPI, they occupied 80 acres of land. They also gave a call of Boycott in the panchayat election, in the name of Viplabi Krishak Mazdoor Samiti. Much propaganda work was done. The CPM got terrified on seeing the activities of these youths who were organising themselves on their own initiative, with no link with any revolutionary party.

In this village of Kashtogurha Gram, there was only a single Brahmin family, Chakkerborty, who used to perform the Purohit’s work in the village. The family was progressive, and Bola Ram Chakkerborty, a youth from this family took part in these activities. On May 4th, the CPM sent two drunken goondas to the family of Chakkerborty to harass them. The police was also with them. The goondas showered abuses upon the women using the most vulgar and obscene language. The family was not cowed down and resisted the goondas. Then, more goondas were deployed by the CPM so that, they could create terror in other houses. To resist these goondas the people of the villages Nalpa and Kashtogurha Gram joined together, including the women, and took out a mass procession, involving 70% of the people of both the villages, armed with bows and arrows, spears, ballams and axes etc. When the procession reached Kashto Gurha Gram from Nalpa, then 10-12 goondas attacked the house of Sunil Da of Nalpa. When this news reached Kashtogurha Gram, the procession rushed back to village Nalpa which is adjacent to Kashtogurha Gram. Adivasi men and women were also in the mass procession armed with their traditional weapons. The CPM goondas were gathering people from a dozen villages in a nearby jungle. When both the ‘Jathas’ came closer, the police arrived to assist the CPM. They started abuses and threats using vulgar and obscene language, but, could not arrest the leadership who had gone underground. One person was caught and cruelly beaten. Later, the CPM Jatha, alongwith the police, reached Kashtogurha Gram. There were no slogans except abuses, and they left in the evening.

On the very next day the leaders who had gone underground, seeing a peaceful atmosphere returned to their homes. In the evening the CPM, gathering their goondas from the neighbouring villages organised a big ‘Jatha’, in which the CPM leadership at the regional as well as block and district level participated. They reached Kashtogurha Gram, where the people had not made any preparations to resist them. The leadership again had to escape, but all the villagers from one corner of the village to the other were cruelly beaten and made to surrender. They were tortured and fined Rs. 500/- to Rs. 600/- each.

When the police left, the CPM leaders gheraoed the house of Shrimanto, one of the three leaders — Shrimanto, Madhu and Bola Ram Chakkerborty — and threatened to kill him in the morning. But all the three comrades escaped at night at 1 A.M. They tried to contact all Naxal groups, along with the Association of People’s Democratic Rights (APDR) in order to move legally. An APDR team arrived to make inquiries in Nalpa and Kashtogurha Gram. When the CPM got this information, they went to village Nalpa and badly thrashed the interviewers, that one interviewer’s hand was broken. Later no resistance was shown by the organisation and their central leadership remained mum.

We were told that when the young leadership escaped, some worked as labourers in other areas and some spent their time with their distant relatives. Later, Shrimanto surrendered before the CPM and Bola Ram Chakkerborty returned to the village after 8 months in 1994 alongwith Madhu who used to visit home secretly. The latter, being from a poor peasant family, he could get shelter in the houses of the poor and landless peasants. On the arrival of these two, the house of Bola Ram Chakkerborty was gheraoed and he was dragged outside and severely beaten. He was forced to parade Kaan Pagarhi (an exercise of pulling ones own ears as a punishment) and later was paraded in a procession of the CPM before the entire village of Kashtogurha Gram with a warning — "If you desire to live in the village, leave all politics."

Any how Bola Ram Chakkerborty continued work underground and made collections for the celebration of "Naxalbari Diwas". When Madhu arrived to conduct the programme of the Naxalbari Day celebrations, he was caught by the CPM and beaten half dead. It was difficult for him to move, but, the CPM gathered a mob in the village, to hold a procession, and forced Madhu to take the flag of the CPM in his hand and move in the procession. They prevented Madhu from going to the hospital for treatment :

For the second time, the house of the Chakkerborty family was gheraoed on May 14th, 1994 by the CPM, and they demanded he join their Jatha which was going to village Nalpa, 2-3 kilometers from Kashtogurha Gram in order to loot the property of comrades Sunil Mandal and Ashis Mandal. But some how or other Bola Ram Chakkerborty could escape. Madhu had already escaped to Raskundu and from there to Garh Beta, so that he could file an FIR in the police station. But, the police refused to file a case against the CPM goondas, as they had already filed cases against 5-6 members of their group. Later they went to Chanda Bila villages to meet their comrade Ravi (Roby in Bengali) to discuss the situation.

Hearing that the CPM had a programme of looting the village Nalpa, Ashis of Nalpa, alongwith Nitai and Vibhas of Dhaboni village gathered in a jungle and thought of killing all the CPM goondas one by one, but, they did not have any arms except lathis (wooden sticks). In the evening a CPM leader (goonda) of village Kashtogurha Gram, Har Dhan Saha, nicknamed Harhu Saha, was seen passing through the jungle on his motor cycle. These three attacked Harhu Saha and beat him half dead. But he managed to escape.

At the same time the CPM gangsters gheraoed the house of Ashish in village Nalpa. Harhu Saha reached there and showed his condition. They gathered more men and again started attacking the village Kashtogurha Gram. This was a second attack in a single day. Seeing this, the people of Kashtogurha Gram fled to the jungles. Bhajan Chakkerborty, the father of the family, while returning from the jungle, having kept his pregnant daughter-in-law (wife of Bola Ram Chakkerborty), in the jungle, was caught by the CPM goondas. The old man thought that being a Brahmin and a respectable Purohit of the village, he would be spared. He was caught on the way and beaten severely. Later they dragged him to the club-ghar of the village and tortured him to death. The dead body of Bhajan Chakkerborty was taken to the jungle and hanged to make it look like a case of suicide.

The next day, one of the three went to the village Kashtogurha Gram to find out what was going on. He returned with the news about the loot and torture in the village. But the CPM had got a clue and informed the police. The police found and arrested them. But, using fake names, they duped the police, and got out of the police station at Garh Beta. Once the police realised the mistake, they began searching for the three in the villages. The police party went to village Chanda Bila to arrest Ravi, who had already escaped. When the police reached Ravi’s house, Madhu escaped some how or the other. The police searched the house and abused the women who had not given them any clue of the whereabouts of Ravi. His sister was abused using all the vulgarities and obscenities in the police dictionary. They even threatened her with gang rape. But, the girl was firm and continued to resist them. Ravi’s 12-year old brother Gairha was suffering from typhoid fever of 1040. He was asked about the whereabouts of his brother. But he was so angered by the police misbehaviour with his sister, that, he shouted at the police saying, "I am not the police to keep the record of revolutionaries." The police arrested him in his bad condition alongwith Bola Ram and Shirmanto. As the latter two had not disclosed their identity and had used fake names, they were released at a distance. The police then came to village Nalpa to arrest Ashish, and to village Kashtogurha to lift Bola Ram Chakkerborty. When they could not find either they returned to the police station.

On 16th May 1994, the dead body of Bhajan Chakkerborty was found. The CPM leadership brought the police from Garh Beta. But the officer of the police station did not carry the dead body, as he doubted the suicidal story. But, the big guns of the CPM, i.e., Bansi Saha of Nalpa, Harhu Saha of Kashtogurha, Jayant Roy of Garh Beta, block secretary CPM and Kishan Pal of Garh Beta district committee member, took the dead body themselves to the police station of Garh Beta at the night of 16th May, 1994. All the police and these goondas of the CPM, dead drunk, arrived at the house of the Chakkerborty family to harass the women and the brother of Bola Ram Chakkerborty. They beat them, tortured them, in order to force them to sign a blank paper to declare it a suicide case. But they could not succeed as the women proved firm.

The dead body was taken to Midnapore hospital, but the condition of the dead body was so bad that the doctors refused to do a post-mortem and did not give any report. Bola Ram Chakkerborty, alongwith two comrades were arrested, but, were soon bailed out. They went to the Midnapore hospital to meet the doctor who was supposed to have done the post-mortem. He told them the actual story, that, he had not given any report and even suggested that they file a murder case against the police and CPM leaders. Despite their decision to file a case through Bola Ram’s mother, the party (central organising body) had discouraged them, as the CPM had threatened to kill all the family members. This group then left the COB (central organising bureau) and started organising a central body to meet with the People’s War of the CPI (ML) from Andhra Pradesh. But, meanwhile some of their comrades became inactive and some even joined the CPM. Comrade Ravi was so furious with the leadership that, he even joined the CPM, to become a total drunkard, and a most notorious CPM drunkard of the area. This was all in frustration, as, when the CPI(ML)(People’s War) contacted Ravi in early 1999, he gave up drinking and joined them.

We have also found Netai Roy Bhuian, a scheduled caste youth of 24-25 years, at this time and could record his statement as under :

His tortures at the hands of the CPM, surpassed even medieval cruelty. He was beaten half dead with iron rods, his body was cut with blades, he was burnt with cigarette stubs and urine was forced into his mouth. Later, he was handed over to the police. He was implicated in a fake case and produced before a court. The judge, nay the learned judge, suggested that he accept his crime so that he could be released. Though a fake case, yet he agreed to the proposal of the judge, who later sentenced him for 15 days imprisonment. He also said that his party also misguided him to accept the proposal of the judge. Later he came out and after a few days he found a man carrying his cycle which was snatched by the CPM goondas when he was captured. He stopped the man carrying his cycle and occupied his cycle after giving him a good beating. That man approached the CPM man who had sold him the cycle. He was again beaten by the CPM goondas and handed over to the police. He came out on bail but the case of dacoity against him is still lying in the court, even after 6 years.

These are the methods of the CPM’s class struggle and "revolution." They have been involved in many heinous crimes to curb any opposition in rural Bengal. The horrifying event of the Basanti Massacre in Nav Dweep has been written in the history of CPM rule. If however, the people of these villages under discussion, take revenge against the CPM goondas and Garh Beta and annihilate all, nobody would consider it a crime except our media.

In rural Bengal anarchy is progressing by leaps and bounds. Peasants are murdered in cold blood by the goondas, who have their political affiliation with ruling class parties. Earlier the CPM, the ruling party in Bengal, had used these goondas, to capture power in rural Bengal. There have been many articles published in People’s March, from time to time, which reveal the real picture of rural Bengal. Now, to kick out the CPM from the rural scene, the BJP-Trinamul Congress alliance has been adopting the same methods which were previously adopted by the CPM. This alliance (BJP-Trinamul) has used the inner contradictions within the CPM, and is gaining ground day by day. Moreover, the BJP-Trinamul alliance has the privilege of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) that provides armed training to its hired goondas and now these goons have established their hegemony through terror, in this area, across the Shilavati river. In some villages you will find not a single CPM sympathiser. We shall not repeat the Sandhipur incident which has been published in People’s March but there are many more horrifying events that have taken place in this area. We have interviewed many people, rich and poor, who have narrated their own stories.

We met a poor peasant, Shri Viadyanath Pandit (35) of the Layak community, belonging to village Majarhia, Garh Beta block, Midnapore district. He narrated a very interesting story of this village which draws a real picture how the contradictions erupted within the CPM and how the BJP-Trinamul has harvested the fruits of it.

In village Simala the BJP-Trinamul Congress organised a Sammelan (mass meeting). The CPM attacked this Sammelan and the BJP-Trinamul turned tail. The BJP-Trinamul alliance then disrupted the mass meetings of the CPM during the panchayat elections. On July 13th, 1998, when the CPM was holding a mass meeting in Bosto Morh, village Nodhasuli, where the Minister of State for Tourism, Sushant Ghosh, was also present, the BJP-Trinamul alliance attacked their mass meeting and chased away the CPM people alongwith Sushant Ghosh, the minister. In Region No. 3, the BJP-Trinamul gained ground and took over hegemony on this area. Many men of Vishwa Nath Mandan sided with them while the men of Mukund Patra remained, but were continuously harassed. Looting, killing and rape of the women started.

The CPM tried to reorganise its forces in order to take revenge against the alliance of the BJP-Trinamul combine. The party office of the CPM remained closed for a long time and Vishwa Nath Mandal took a Jatha and succeeded in reaching the local party office, but Tara Shankar Benerji ran away. The office was gheraoed by the BJP-Trinamul alliance and the CPM shut themselves in the office. The alliance blocked their exit, even easing themselves and eating, and taking water became impossible. ‘Atisaara’ (dysentery) started among the CPM leadership and the pungent smell bothered them to death in that black hole. The BJP-Trinamul force did not stop here. They took a ladder, and made a hole in the wall to insert a big pipe in order to throw chilly power inside the CPM office. Anyhow, the police came and got them released.

On the second occasion, the CPM made better preparations to defend their office and push back the attack of the BJP-Trinamul alliance if it occurred. The Jatha under the leadership of Mukund Patra had occupied the CPM office, but Haren Dev was attacked by the police, while Vishwa Nath Mundal did not come out of his house. The BJP-Trinamul, had an organised force recruited by the RSS and well trained with good weapons, but the CPM were lenient ‘revolutionaries,’ rather the disciples of peaceful co-existence and Ahimsa Paramo Dharma. The alliance attacked the CPM fiercely and killed Mukund Patra and his associates. Our interviewer’s elder brother, Faquir Pandit was also killed and all the villagers fled to save their lives. The entire village was set ablaze and loot, murder and mass rape of the women was the order of the day. This was done by the alliance of both the parties who pose to be the saviours of Swadeshi, Hindutva, Bharatiyata and womanhood.

Who were the leaders of the BJP-Trinamul alliance ? The people have given us the names of their main goondas i.e., Swarup Sarkar, Bhola, Utpal, Laltoo, Jhumpa, Vidhan, Somunu alias Shamas-ud-Din, Ashraf etc., who were the notorious goondas of the area and have spread terror in the masses.

Swarup Sarkar was later killed by the armed squad of the CPI (ML) [People’s War] who had a following in the landless and poor peasantry. We don’t repeat the Sandhipur incident. But, we should inform our readers of the notorious anti-social activities of Swarup Sarkar. He was a heavy drinker, and looting, murdering and raping virgins were his pleasures.

He used to collect money for the BJP from the people by force, at gun point. Once Swarup Sarkar was collecting funds for the BJP and asked a middle peasant to pay him Rs. 2000/-. But the middle peasant had no money in hand to pay the BJP such an amount. He requested the leader, Swarup Sarkar to wait for a week. But, Swarup Sarkar took a motor of the peasant worth 10-12 thousand and sold it for Rs. 3500/- in another village.

Swarup Sarkar went to a high school, and demanded Rs. 50,000/- from the teachers working in the Sandhipur high school, for the BJP fund. When they shirked to fulfill such a heavy demand, Swarup Sarkar threatened the 25 teachers to pay Rs. 3000/- each or bear the consequences. He talked of killing everyone who would not pay Rs. 3000/the next morning. Anyhow, the teachers pleaded and the bargain was settled at a Rs. 2000/- levy on each teacher of the high school at Sandhipur and a levy of Rs. 500/- on the primary school teachers.

Swarup Sarkar went to a village and demanded Rs. 5000/- from Sukumar Sad-Gope’s father for the party fund. Sukumar Sad-Gope’s father meekly requested that he wait for a week so that he could sell his potato crop in the market and would pay his levy of Rs. 5000/-. Swarup Sarkar found the unmarried young sister of Sukumar Sad-Gope and his mouth watered. He told them that they should not worry, as, he would pay the levy to the party on their behalf, but, he would take the girl for a day. The young girl was dragged towards the fields at the point of a gun and nobody could resist. The chastity of the virgin girl was violated in her own fields and was raped many a times for 2 nights. When the girl came back home her condition was very bad. When a squad member asked her why she had not resisted, she told her (a lady squad member) that Swarup Sarkar pulled off her clothes threatened that if she would move, he would insert the barrel of the gun in her vagina and shoot her. We do not mention the name of the girl, her father and her village, for the sake of her shame, but, we demand from the saviours of Hindutva, whether all this was for the cause of Hindu Sanskriti.

There are many, more pathetic stories related to the women of this area, which we avoid to mention here, but the story of Utter Bila we can’t avoid.

Utter Bila is a village which was captured by the BJP-Trinamul alliance, but the CPM reoccupied it. Then the BJP-Trinamul forces again attacked this village fiercely and captured it alongwith the Kond Giriya and Kirtan Giriya villages. Mass murders and mass rapes were unleashed by the BJP-Trinamul goondas. Three Muslim women were so badly raped, that, they became half dead. After rape the barrels of the guns were inserted in their vaginas and those 3 muslim women could not walk. One of the sufferers, Santana Bibi, when contacted, by a lady squad member, was walking with her legs apart keeping a space of 2-2½ feet. We tried to meet these ladies, but could not, as there was a war, rather Dharma-Yuddha, between the forces of the BJP-Trinamul alliance versus the CPM forces. Another tortured woman told us when we could contact her, that, more than 200 families fled the villages and settled in Blui Tal, but they had no food, no utensils, no beds, no clothing, no roof and the winter was hard. These are the upholders of the Stree Dharma of the RSS and the advocates of the welfare of womanhood, for which the Rana Chandi of Bengal Mamata Benerjee cries hoarse and advocates the right of women for 30% reservation.

Raikha is a Muslim hamlet near Sandhipur. Utpal a staunch RSS goonda belongs to this village. He was notorious and stands equivalent to Swarup Sarkar. Shauqat Ali, the village Imam, narrated in tears, in his old eyes, that Utpal had previously spared his own village, but, there is a dalit widow, cobler by caste, whose young husband died owing to a snake bite. Once Utpal raped her at the point of a gun and later visited her day and night. The Muslim elders asked Utpal either to marry that dalit woman or stop visiting her. This provoked Utpal who broke the head of one elder and another’s arm was fractured. The son of one of the elders came to resist, but Utpal put his AK-47 gun at his head. All the women rushed towards Utpal and wept, while entreating him to spare the man. They washed his feet with their tears. There was so much terror in Raikha, created by Utpal, that children did not play in the village after dusk.

We were told that the youth of village Raikha searched for the squads of the People’s War, who organised the village youth into a Gram-Raksha Dalam. The squad of the People’s War raided the house of Utpal many a times, but he escaped. A similar scene, like that at the Muslim Para’s house was repeated at Utpal’s house, where Utpal’s grand father, parents and women wept bitterly. They washed the feet of the commander of the squad, as, the women had a notion that, the squad members would also behave in the same manner adopted by the RSS in looting, raping and murdering. But the commander of the squad gathered the people of that Para where Utpal’s family members resided and assured all the people, that, they live peacefully, they would not touch anybody but punish the criminals, anti-socials and enemies of the masses. We were told that Utpal’s family left the village for good and Utpal sometimes visited the village clandestinely on his motor cycle after dusk, when there was no scope of a raid; but, other people said that Utpal did never visit Raikha owing to the fear of the People’s War. If the masses are organised, there is no power on earth to scare them.

In this anarchic environment the long desire of the poor masses was fulfilled by the arrival of the People’s War. The poor people were ready to join the squads and the organisation while the middle and lower middle peasants put a condition to join the party. They said that they would join if the squad first annihilate all the goonda leaders. They were so terrified that they did not have faith that the squads could kill the goondas, but, the poor and landless peasants gave a warm welcome and let their sons and daughters join the party squads. This is taking place in the fortress of the reactionary BJP-Trinamul alliance. Wherever the squad goes the masses welcome them with warm hospitality. Village committees and Gram Raksha Dals are being organised in many villages. Men and women, old and young attend the mass meetings held at night. Meals are given to the squad, collecting cooked rice from the houses and some times a joint lunger is arranged where all the villagers dine together. Cultural programmes are performed in every meeting which continues upto 2 A.M., and when the meeting is adjourned the squad moves to an other village. Moreover, the people demand arms for their sons and daughters either for self defence or for killing their enemies. Not only this, they have become conscious of state power. When we ask a child of 6 years the function of the Party or the squads, he would reply simply — "For the power of poor people".

After the incident of Sandhipur, when the BJP-Trinamul goondas took revenge by the annihilation of Swarup Sarkar, the situation has abruptly been changed. The goondas attacked Asit Sarkar’s house, looted it and killed his relatives in cold blood. The people opposed their action and condemned it. The upper and middle class supporters of theirs, were horrified that, one day the Naxalites would take revenge. They openly talk, that, those goondas should not have done this, as, there was no fault of the innocent people who were killed. Some of them even left their villages and settled in the town.

To save these goondas, the police have come to their rescue. Once, there was a clash between the goondas and the Naxalites, when the squad was in a good cover. It repulsed the attack of the BJP-Trinamul goondas and then the police arrived, but the police could not face the Naxalites and retreated. The goondas insisted upon launching a second attack, but the police prevented them saying if they attacked them, the police would have to deploy more force and trucks in order to carry their (goondas’) dead bodies.

The BJP-Trinamul goonda forces have occupied the villages, which were some time back, the fortresses of the CPM. They have driven the CPM goondas away, and their sympathisers also fled the area. On March 20 last year, the CPM made good preparations and tried to re-occupy some villages in No. 3. Their sympathisers had already fled the area alongwith other people. Some had joined the BJP-Trinamul alliance. Other people had paid the extortion money of 7 to 10 thousand rupees, the elite had paid upto Rs 50 thousand, only to live in this area. When the CPM armed forces started the attack, the BJP-Trinamul allied forces repulsed their attack using bombs and killed 2 CPM men and injured many. On March 23rd two more were killed by the BJP-Trinamul alliance. Then the armed police arrived, who arrested some CPM men and dispersed others, but did not touch any of the allied forces of the BJP-Trinamul combine. Day and night firing went on from both sides without any stop and the bombs used by the BJP-Trinamul alliance were sounding like heavy guns. On 25th March the CPM’s armed forces again attacked the allied forces of the BJP-Trinamul, but they lost 7 men. An old woman told us, that, the 7 dead bodies were removed by the CPM forces. She had also reported that, the police had come on 23rd March and resettled 200 people who had returned from Blui Tal to resettle in their 3 villages.

On 25th March, the People’s War squad, which was also in the area doing its work regularly, reached a village situated near the Shilabati river. This village has 3 paras (hamlets). An old woman coming from the other para situated at a distance of 1½ kilometer, reported, that, 70 armed men of the allied BJP-Trinamul forces had entered the para on the previous night and they were planning to attack that para which sympathised with the People’s War. The Gram Raksha Dal moved from house to house to sound the people of the coming danger. That para had a good cover and their position was strong strategically. Every one of that para kept a watch and Santeri-Pahera (sentries) were kept at 2 posts. In the evening the report arrived that the enemy had camped in the centre of the para and the leadership was holding a meeting in the office situated in the centre of the para, while their men were dead-drunk. At 9 P.M. the squad moved for the attack. We were informed, that the leader of this gang was also there who was a target of the squad. When the squad reached the spot and took its position, the goonda leader came out side. He was fully armed, having a torch in his hand. He heard a sound and shouted — "who is there?" He flashed his torch light, but was hit on the head by a fist. Being strong, he was able to repulse the attack and ran back. He was fired upon by 2 comrades while he was running. One shot missed, the other hit him on the head and he fell down. It was pitch dark and the noise and cries started in the village para. There was no firing from the enemy side except cries and shouts. On the other hand in No. 3 bomb-shelling was constantly going on and was making the night horrible and more panicky. There was no sound from the enemy side. The noise was made by the people, mostly women and it subsided after a few minutes. The squad kept on waiting for an hour, when there was no sound from the enemy side, it could not understand what was going on, and thus, retreated safely. The squad left for another village and on the morning of the 26th March the report came that, the goonda leader was not killed but only got a scratch on the head, which was enough to scare his followers who left the village in the cover of the night, and the goonda declared next morning that he had left the BJP. The report of in-fights and some clashes between the BJP and Trinamul cadre were also received. But the squad was determined to annihilate him. It was reported that, he would attend the Shiva Ratri fair in village Raskundu. But he did not arrive there on 5th and 6th April.

On 27th March we travelled through some BJP-Trinamul villages, meeting and interviewing the sympathisers of these parties and came to the conclusion that, they had joined these parties only for the time being and when the balance of forces changes they would turn. Then we crossed Shilabati river by a boat and reached the other side which was a CPM area. We passed through some muslim villages too, alongwith Kharh Kusuma, Dagurparha, Dhan Chhorha (there is a big Ashrama), Garha Mara, Dhanna, Siraima etc., and stayed in a house of a CPM sympathiser in village Kashtogurha Gram, where we could interview Chakkerborty’s family and some other people. We could also pass some Adivasi villages too who were said to be considered as Naxalite pockets.

In Kashtogurha village, we met a man of the BJP-Trinamul alliance at night who was considered the right hand of the notorious goonda, Jhampa, who also belonged to Kashtogurha but was residing with his father-in-law in Jhampa’s village and was very active. Though he was a drunkard, yet he talked to us politely during his interview and provided us good information about the 7 day war between the allied BJP-Trinamul, and the CPM forces — the number of killed and injured CPM men. He had also said that, there have been clashes between the BJP and the Trinamul Congress.

The CPM people had told us that, the cause for the rise of the BJP-Trinamul was due to the inner party groupism and there was no preparation to face the attack of the allied forces of the BJP-Trinamul Congress. They said that they were depending upon the police force, but the police had changed and were assisting the BJP-Trinamul forces. They speculated that it was only the Naxalites who could tackle such fascist forces.

But, when the People’s War squads take any action, then the police arrives at once, and all the 3 ruling class parties join together to curb the people’s movement by hook or by crook. The CPM men were saying that the leadership at the higher level was suggesting to use the Naxalite forces to defeat the alliance of the BJP-Trinamul Congress in the coming elections. If such a thing happened, they would join the Naxalites of the People’s War. As we had mentioned above, the middle peasantry was attracted towards the People’s War, but, they were simply following the policy of wait and watch at present. The middle class has its own class nature as well as class interests. It would worship the rising Sun and were bound to join, at a certain stage, whenever the balance of forces changes.

We were also in a fix at the silence of the media. Local Bengali papers had published some minor clashes and a few deaths, while we had watched a Dharm Yudha in which bombs were freely used and remained thundering on the earth for many days. (We had left the area of clashes on 27th March) Later the CPM authorities deployed a 2000 police force from 3 district centres under the command of 3 IPS officers to put an end of this war. But all the goonda forces left the area and the police could not catch a single one. But, it was harassing the poor people who were considered Naxalites. They had visited the villages of some squad members and harassed the ladies and children. In Garh Beta the third phase is still starting.

The People’s War squads hardly entered this area in December 1998, and since then it is gaining ground. It will have to face many vicissitudes, ups and downs, tribulations and trials. But one thing we can say with confidence, it was not the party of the People’s War, but ruling classes themselves, who have made the people conscious through their heinous crimes of suppression.

The people under the leadership of the CPI(ML)[People’s War], steeled and tempered in the ordeal of armed class struggle during the period after the set back of the great Naxalbari peasants armed struggle are advancing ahead. Now, the economic crises of the ruling classes at the national as well as at the international level, is giving birth to a political crises at the national as well as at the international level, which is conceiving the seeds of New People’s Democratic Revolution in India. As the armed struggles in Andhra Pradesh and Dandakaranya are spreading like a praire fire in the Deccan, similarly, the struggle in Garh Beta area which is spreading all around and crossing the borders of other districts, shall engulf entire Bengal, which will rouse Punjab and other states, demolishing the fortress of the reactionary ruling classes at the Centre. The revolutionary people’s war can only be successful if fought under the leadership of the proletariat and thus all other armed struggles which are being fought by the nationalities in the North East and Kashmir are bound to merge with it to achieve a glorious victory in defeating feudalism, comprador bureaucratic capitalism and imperialism, the enemy of the world people.

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