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Every year, July 28 –
the day on which Comrade Charu Majumdar, the founder-leader of CPI (ML), was
murdered by the reactionary ruling classes of India led by Indira Gandhi’s
fascist Congress regime in 1972 – is observed as Martyrs’ Day by the rank and
file of the CPI (ML)[People’s War] and the revolutionary masses. 27 years after
his martyrdom, Com. CM still remains an inspiration to the revolutionary youth
and oppressed masses of the country. The programme and the path shown by him for
the liberation of our semi-feudal, semi-colonial society from the clutches of
feudalism, imperialism and bureaucrat capitalism continues to be the general
line of the Indian democratic revolution.
After the martyrdom
of Com. CM and the setback in the revolutionary movement, most of the parties
calling themselves to be the inheritors of the Naxalbari legacy had either
degenerated into parliamentary parties or had given up the path of people’s war
and, instead, had confined themselves to mass struggles on partial demands or
peasant resistance struggle against feudal forces without a programme or
perspective for the seizure of political power. In contrast, the CPI (ML)
[People’s War], which includes the erstwhile CPI (ML)(PU) and CPI (ML)(PW), has
adhered to the general line and the path of protracted people’s war as laid down
by Com. CM, and, in the course of advancing the people’s war, it had lost over
3000 comrades in the past two decades.
This year too, for a
week starting with July 28, the PW took up an extensive propaganda campaign in
commemoration of its martyrs; distributed leaflets, put up banners and posters;
took out torch-light processions and held meetings in thousands of villages and
bastis in urban areas in north and south Telangana, East region, Rayalaseema and
other parts of AP, Bihar, Dandakaranya, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka,
Maharashtra and elsewhere. Martyrs’ columns (stupams) are constructed in some
villages or in the nearby forest collectively by the people using bricks,
stones, mud, bamboo or whatever material is available to them.
The observance of the
Martyrs’ week in the midst of white terror is a virtual challenge for the
revolutionary masses. During the week – July 28 to August 3 – thousands of
police and para-military forces are specially deployed in the countryside. Even
distribution of leaflets and putting up posters and banners is fraught with
danger to one’s life; anyone caught in the act could be shot dead. Yet the
undaunting heroism and creative capacity of the revolutionary masses are seen to
be believed. In the midst of the combing operations conducted by the enemy
forces, extensive propaganda is done right behind the backs of the enemy :
posters are put up on the very walls of the police station buildings; banners
are placed in villages where police camps are situated; meetings are held in the
vicinity of the police camps without the latter even getting the scent of it.
Torch-light processions, construction of martyrs’ columns and even big meetings
go on, attended at times by media personnel too, only due to the mass support
enjoyed by the party and the armed guerillas.
The organs of the
various state committees of CPI (ML) [People’s War] – Praja Vimukti of
NTSZC, Kranti of APSC, Prabhat of DKSZC – have carried reports of
several such meetings in the villages of their respective regions during July
28-August 3, this year. The reports say that in the period of just one year
since July 28, 1998, the CPI (ML)[People’s War] lost 110 comrades in North
Telangana, 100 comrades in South Telangana and East Region (North Andhra), 30 in
Bihar (excluding the general supporters of the movement who were killed by the
Ranveer Sena goons in the massacres during this period), 30 in Dandakaranya
i.e., a total of 270 comrades had laid down their lives all over India during
the past one year for the liberation of the oppressed people from the clutches
of feudalism, imperialism and bureaucrat capitalism.
Among the martyrs are
senior leaders such as Comrade Nirmal (Sunil), a state committee member of
Bihar; Comrade Suresh (Gelli Rajalingam), secretary of the Singareni Belt
Committee; Com. Vinod (Raji Reddy), a DCM of Nizamabad; Com. Ramchandar (Ramesh),
a DCM of Karimnagar West; Com. Prabhakar (Bade Nageswar Rao), a DCM of Khammam;
Com. Prabhakar (Kiran Kumar, Makka Venkateswarlu), DCS of Nalgonda; Com. Ganti
Ramesh, DCS of Srikakulam; Com. Bhoomanna, DCM of Srikakulam; Com. Satyendra, a
member of the South Zonal Committee of Koel-Kaimur region and Com. Ramsheesh (Avadhesh),
a member of the North Zonal Committee of the same region in Bihar; as well as
several Area Committee members (including commanders and deputy commanders),
members of the guerilla squads, party organisers, leaders and members of mass
organisations of peasants, youth, students, women and of the revolutionary trade
unions.
Of the 111 martyrs of
NT in the past one year listed by Praja Vimukti (July-September, 1999),
are 4 DCMs, 1 SAC secretary, 5 SAC members, 25 guerilla squad members, 31 party
members and leaders of mass organisations and 45 sympathisers of the movement.
16 of the martyrs are women. The last major incident to take place in NT was on
July 12 this year in which four comrades — DCM, Bade Nageswar Rao; DCM, Koutam
Raju, a deputy commander; Com. Naveen, a member of a platoon; and Kote Balaiah,
a squad member, died after an encounter with the police near Narsapur village in
Eturnagaram area.
In South Telangana,
where the state repression and attacks by vigillante squads employed by the
state had reached a scale unheard of in the region’s history, losses have been
serious. In Medak district alone, 31 comrades became martyrs. In two major
incidents in March and April this year, two guerilla squads were almost wiped
out : in the first incident that took place in the last week of March, all the
seven members of the Narsapur squad including its commander were killed when
they were sleeping in a house in Chintakunta; in the second encounter in
Seethampet village on April 15, six members of Dubbaka squad including its
deputy commander became martyrs. A major incident which took place in the East
Region (North Andhra) was the Copardung incident in August last year when 13
comrades including a DCS, a DCM and two commanders, became martyrs after a
heroic battle with the police who surrounded them in thousands.
Among the martyrs in
the past one year are several women comrades numbering around 40 including
commanders, SAC members and squad members such as Com. Padmakka (Commander in
SKL), Com. Nirmalakka (North Bastar), Umakka, Kavitakka, Indirakka and others.
The loss of these 270
comrades – especially those several well-experienced and talented organisers,
established leaders of the party and mass organisations, heroic and
self-sacrificing guerilla fighters – is a great loss to the Indian revolution
particularly to the movement in NT, Bihar, DK and AP. But the ongoing people’s
war is bound to throw up able successors to these fallen heroes, in ever greater
numbers, as history had demonstrated. As long as the cause for which these
comrades had given up their lives – that of getting rid of feudalism,
imperialism, bureaucrat capitalism from the Indian soil and paving the way for
passing over to socialism and communism – remains unfulfilled; as long as their
dream of establishing a society free of all exploitation is not realised; so
long will the class war continue demanding more and more sacrifice from the
revolutionaries and the oppressed people. In this just war, however much the
enemy may try to suppress the people’s struggles by letting lose a reign of
terror and killing thousands of fighters, ever more numbers of fighters and
revolutionary successors are bound to take their place until the final triumph
of communism.
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