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In North Telangana, the state and the Central
governments led by Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP and the BJP-led NDA have stepped up
their suppression campaign in the past six months brutally murdering the
revolutionary peasantry, workers, women, youth; arresting them en mass and
subjecting them to third degree methods. For it is these sections led by the CPI
(ML)[PW] who are putting up valiant struggle against the fascist, anti-people,
traitorous policies of these parties which have been fleecing the people of the
entire country in the name of ‘second generation reforms’ dictated by the World
Bank – IMF – WTO. In just three months since the announcement of the Budget 2000
– 2001, the prices of essential commodities like PDS-supplied rice, kerosene,
LPG and bus fares, power tariff and water cess have seen a sharp increase. The
Indian ruling classes have now become emboldened to implement every condition
imposed by the World Bank – IMF – WTO trio and other imperialist agencies due to
the impotence of the so-called Left opposition parties which too have actually
capitulated to imperialism. Thus the various ruling class parties whether in
power or in opposition, are united in suppressing the people’s struggles which
have been gathering momentum in the past few months. And the focus of their
suppression is the people’s war led by the CPI (ML)[PW] apart from the various
armed nationality movements in the North-East and Kashmir.
In the North Telangana Guerilla Zone, where the
suppression is at its worst, at least 120 people were killed between January and
May 2000. Apart from these brutal murders, thousands of youth are being
arrested, tortured and implicated in false cases. Statements are being forcibly
extracted from the people declaring that they shall not associate themselves
with the banned CPI (ML)[PW]. And these are shown to the world as large-scale
surrenders. For instance, in Parkal and Chityal areas in Warangal district, a
massive terror campaign was let loose by the police arresting over 300 people
belonging to the VRCS, VMS, GRCs and RBS in May alone. The arrested people are
threatened at gun-point to issue press statements declaring their disassociation
with the PW and that they will not allow Naxalites into their villages.
In Indervelli area of Adilabad district, the houses
of activists of revolutionary mass organisations were raided in Sirichelma,
Sirikonda, Godhumalle, Narayanpur, Kuntala, Gundala, Jendagaon, Tammalapadu,
Sonepalli, Daaba, Tejapur, Shanthpur, Dharmasagar, Buggaram, Nagamalle, etc.,
and several people were arrested and tortured. People are forced to give press
statements against the CPI (ML)[PW].
In Konaraopet mandal in Karimnagar district raids
were conducted on the houses of those who are suspected to have relations with
the Naxalites and hundreds of youth were arrested and tortured.
Cases were filed against people of 15 villages in
Talamadugu mandal in Adilabad district and they were instructed to report in the
police station. The people were threatened with dire consequences if they gave
food to the Naxalites.
In Gorkothapalli village in Regonda mandal in
Warangal even children were not spared, several of whom were arrested and
tortured.
In scores of villages in Manuguru, Kothagudem,
Gundala and other mandals in Khammam district people were arrested and forced to
give statements against the PW.
Growing People’s Resistance
The massive repression unleashed by the state in
North Telangana has only led to increased resistance from the people who have
been coming out in large numbers whenever arrests are made by the police. Given
below are a few instances of open defiance by the people:
In Singapur village, when the police tried to
arrest a youth, the people of the entire village blocked the police. The police
had no other alternative but to release the youth.
In Gangapur village in Indervelli mandal, when the
Utnoor police arrested some activists of the VRCS, the entire people held a
dharna in front of the police station and secured the release of the leaders.
On January 21, an activist of the VRCS was arrested
in Talamadugu in Adilabad district and detained in the police station. The
people of the surrounding 20 villages demonstrated before the police station and
continued the dharna for three days demanding the release of the youth. They
blocked the jeep of the former minister Ramachandra Reddy who came to the police
station on some work. The people also held a demonstration in front of the MRO
office and secured the release of the youth.
In the last week of May when the Warangal police
arrested the Sarpanch of Gorikothapalli in Regonda mandal with the charge that
he had close links with the Naxalites there was a massive protest from the
people of the village as well as the neighbouring villages. Infuriated by the
third degree methods of torture resorted to by the police on the Sarpanch, the
people held a demonstration at the police station in Parkal town and blocked all
traffic on the highway.
Defying the virtual curfew imposed by the Adilabad
police, the people of Adilabad observed Indervelli Martyrs’ Week between April
20 and 26 to commemorate the martyrdom of over 30 adivasi peasants in brutal
police firing on April 20, 1981. The 3 km-long stretch of road from Gudihathnoor
to Utnoor was blockaded by the police banning the movement of all vehicles and
people from April 19 itself in order to prevent people from attending the
meeting at Indervelli. Countering the enemy’s plan the people constructed a
temporary column for the martyrs in nearby Icchoda and a huge memorial meeting
was held taking the enemy by surprise. Besides, several memorial meetings were
held in the villages deep in the forest of Adilabad.
Janmabhoomi Fiasco
(In the last issue People’s March reported
on the mass actions against Janmabhoomi in Karimnagar and Adilabad districts)
In Warangal and Khammam districts too, the 12th
round of the Janmabhoomi programme of Naidu’s TDP evoked militant protests from
the people whose pent-up anger against the gross apathy and callous attitude
displayed by the government towards the basic problems of the people burst into
the open. Plagued by chronic shortage of drinking water which had turned most
acute this summer, people in hundreds of villages either boycotted the
government-sponsored publicity gimmick or disrupted the meetings by gheraoing
the officials and political leaders, locked them up in houses, or even attacked
them with empty pots. Women, particularly, turned out in large numbers holding
demonstrations with empty pots and humiliating the officials. Reports of some of
the militant demonstrations in Warangal and Khammam districts are given below:
The people of Potharajupalli in Geesukonda mandal,
Issipet in Mogullapalle mandal, Ammapuram in Thorrur mandal, Govindapuram in
Shayampet mandal, Shanigaram in Nallabelli mandal and several other villages in
Warangal district boycotted the Janmabhoomi programme and threw out the
government officials and political leaders who visited these villages. In all
these villages, the people demanded why no measures were taken up for providing
the barest minimum needs like drinking water in spite of the 11 rounds of
Janmabhoomi campaigns. The boycotts and protests were not confined to the rural
areas. In Warangal city too, people in the 47th division boycotted the programme
and gheraoed the officials in which 200 women participated with empty pots.
Gheraos of the officials and blocking of their
vehicles were organised in several villages in Warangal such as Sagaram in
Jaffargarh mandal; Konkisala in Mogullapalli mandal; Velurpalli, Eddulapalli and
Pogullapalli villages in Kothaguda mandal; Karlapalli in Govindaraopet mandal;
Ayodhya and Moodupugal villages in Mahabubabad mandal; Kondaparthi, Bhattupalli
and Kothapalli villages in Hanumakonda mandal; Lankalapalli in Nallabelli mandal;
Mondrayi in Kodakandla mandal; Manubothulagudem in Khanapur mandal; Dornakal
town and so on. In Kadavendi in Devaruppula mandal people forced the nodal
officer and other officials to consume the contaminated water of the village
supplied by the government under the drinking water scheme.
In Khammam district, people of several mandals such
as Timmarajupalem, Chintakani, Konijerla, Tekulapalli, Palavancha, Kothagudem,
Garla, Kamepalli, Khammam Urban and Rural, gheraoed the officials demanding
drinking water, reduction of prices of subsidised rice, kerosene and other
demands. Women played the most active role in all these demonstrations.
In Gubbagurthi village in Konijarla mandal women
demonstrated with empty pots and blocked the road refusing to permit the
vehicles of the officials into the village. In Budharam, Rayagudem,
Appalanarasimha- puram and Kallukacharam in Nelakondapalli mandal, people were
infuriated by the sub-standard quality of rice supplied through the PDS, which
had stones and sand and demanded that the officials should consume the rice to
understand the problem. People raised slogans such as "Janmabhoomi Down Down!"
"Officials, Go Back!" "We Want Water, Not Janmabhoomi Fraud!"
Land Struggles in Anantapur District
Anantapur district of
AP is one of the districts of Rayalaseema, ridden by ruthless factional politics
amongst the ruling classes. With the strengthening of the revolutionary
movement, the people are coming out of factional politics and joining the
revolutionary movement. With this development, the government has intensified
repression on the people. The government’s idea is to retain the people in
factional politics. But the people are resisting the police, goonda gangs and
marching forward in land occupation struggles.
The people of
Amidhyala village (Pennahobilam squad area) under the leadership of the VRCS (Viplava
Rytu Cooli Sangham) and VMS (Viplava Mahila Sangham) formed a land struggle
committee and occupied the patta land of the landlords. 120 women and 140 men,
with red flags and banners, went in a procession and occupied 50 acres of wet
land of TC Subbarayudu, 30 acres of dry land of Veluru Chinna Ramanna and 40
acres of dry land of Biridepalli Narasaiah. After occupation, 300 people went
with 38 ploughs and have sown bajra seeds collectively in these 120 acres.
* In 1998, the people
of Raketla and Kaukuntla villages led by the RCS occupied the patta lands of
then TDP MLA and landlord, Payyavula Kesav. By using his power and influence he
managed to sell that land to the SC Corporation. He invoked quarrels amongst the
people and tried to draw them into factional politics. The SC Corporation
allotted some land to a section of the people, so that quarrels among the people
could become acute. Then the VRCS led the people against this conspiracy and
formed a land struggle committee. The people under the leadership of that
struggle committee demanded that the land should be allotted to the poor people
who participated in the land struggle of the past. They took out a procession
with red flags and banners in Raketla and Kaukuntla villages and held a public
meeting. The speakers exposed the conspiracy of the landlord and the agentgiri
of SC Corporation. Understanding the conspiracy of the landlord, the dalits
refused to take the land allotted to them by the SC Corporation.
People of Amidhyala village in
Anantapur district are going in procession to occupy the patta lands of the
landlords
* The people of
Kalagallu village of Kuderu mandal (Pennahobilam Squad area) occupied 25 acres
patta land of landlord Narayana Reddy. The landlord called in the police, made
arrests and after torturing the activists, framed false cases on the peasants.
The people, enraged by these arrests, destroyed the house and electric motors of
the landlord. They stopped ploughing the fields of the landlord. As his attempts
to intimidate the people with threats and cases became futile, the landlord left
the village and stationed himself at Anantapur town. After all his attempts
failed, he surrendered before the people and accepted the demands of the people;
he paid compensation for the arrests and cases on the people; he surrendered
25-acre of the occupied land for the peasant labourers; he gave a public apology
in front of the people and agreed to all the other demands.
* The big landlords
of many villages in Uravakonda mandal (Pennahobilam squad area) have been giving
their lands on rent to poor people, and grabbing the bulk of their crop in the
name of land rent. With no other alternative, the landless poor peasants, have
been cultivating the lands of the landlords at these exorbitant rents, for their
livelihood. Due to this severe exploitation, the peasants and poor people
organised themselves under the RCS and formed a land-rent deduction committee
and demanded the reduction of land rent. The landlords who have tasted the
fruits of labour exploitation, refused to obey the demands of the poor people.
The people called a bandh on all the cultivating activities of the landlords.
One landlord who tried to do cultivation was severely warned by the people.
Another landlord who tried to instill divisions amongst people was also repulsed
by the people. The people took out a procession with red banners and held a
public meeting. After 12 days of struggle, the landlords surrendered and agreed
to reduce the land rent.
Struggle Against Dowry Murder
One year back, Venkatesh of Samsthan Narayanpur (Nalgonda
district) married Jyothi of Polkampalli village. Venkatesh was a teacher and
Jyothi was still studying in the 10th class. The dowry was fixed at one lakh 50
thousand before the marriage. Jyothi’s parents gave one lakh at the time of
marriage and said they would give the remaining 50 thousand afterwards. But
giving those 50 thousand rupees got late. So Venkatesh began to harass Jyothi
for that money. Venkatesh tried to defame the character of Jyothi by saying that
she was having illicit relations with others. As he became mad day by day due to
his dowry hunger, he tortured and killed Jyothi in her bed room and threw the
body in the kitchen and propagated that she died because of a gas cylinder fire.
He bribed the police officials heavily and tried to waterdown the case. But the
women of Samsthan Narayanpur, led by Viplava Mahila Sangham (VMS), held a big
rally against this dowry death in the mandal centre. Nearly two thousand people
participated in this rally. They closed down all the shops and schools. They
shouted slogans like ‘Down with atrocities on women’, ‘Condemn dowry
murders’, ‘The husband of Jyothi should be punished’ and handed over a
memorandum to the MRO. To protect Venkatesh from the people’s wrath, the police
put him in the lockup. Knowing that he was in the lockup, the women gathered the
people and diverted the rally from the MRO office to the police station. They
held a dharna infront of the police station. The women demanded that Venkatesh
be handed over to them. They angrily shouted that they would kill him if he came
out of the police station. With the rising people’s anger, the police had no
other option but to arrest Venkatesh.
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