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The Director General
of Police of Bihar, Mr. R.R. Prasad announced in the first week of January that
the Bihar police achieved significant success against naxalites in the year 2002
and that they were moving ahead to finish off the naxal activities completely by
launching ‘Operation Samapan’.
A reply to this
announcement came from the Peoples Guerilla Army (PGA) of the CPI (ML) People’s
War in the form of a raid on a police camp in Bara village of Naubatpur P.S. in
Patna district. This P.S. is hardly 40 kms from Patna. Dozens of PGA fighters
silently surrounded the camp from all four sides on the thick foggy night of 23
January and launched the attack by throwing grenades on the two sentries on the
rooftop of the camp. The Guerillas repeatedly warned them from the beginning to
surrender and assured them that no harm would be done to them. Despite these
assurances they feared for their lives and resisted the attack for four hours.
But the guerillas overpowered them completely. One head constable died. When the
guerillas blasted two rooms of the camp with mines and gained complete control
over the rooftop the police saw no way out and they surrendered. The guerillas
seized 16 .303 rifles, one sten carbine and 584 rounds of ammunition and a
wireless set. The injured police were treated and then the surrendered police
were let off after explaining to them the policy of Peoples War towards the
lower level police personnel, of how they are the class brothers of the workers
and peasants and how they are serving the interests of the ruling classes. The
difference in the inhuman treatment of naxalites by the police when they arrest
the former and the humane treatment of the surrendered police by a communist
party was glaringly demonstrated more in deeds than in words. The guerillas
marched away with their cache of arms. They retreated to the safety of people’s
protection. This they had to do during day time itself as the raid itself lasted
till 3.30AM. The police could not get any wind of the retreat route of the
guerillas though dozens of them marched through the open plains of Magadh until
12 in the noon. Though the heavy fog also helped to an extent, it was the mass
support that the party enjoys which protected the guerillas.
In making this raid a
success com. Subodh (25), a daring fighter who was in the main assault group,
laid down his life. He died when the mine blasted, which he had placed on the
rooftop of the camp. This comrade belonged to a family, which has been serving
the revolution for nearly one and half decades. He himself grew along with the
revolutionary movement in Masaurhi area of Patna district. He was the deputy
commander of an SGS at the time of his death. He was a daring fighter and
participated in many of the earlier raids and ambushes. He participated in
Salempur, Vishnuganj and Jagpura raids and Chadtha and Bela ambushes. He also
participated in the Aiyra raid on the Ranvir Sena. Because of his initiative and
daringness he was selected into the main assault group during this raid. With
exemplary courage he fulfilled the responsibility entrusted to him. During this
process he laid down his life. The red fighters were grief filled as they came
to know of his martyrdom. They held back tears for the comrade, who was dear to
every one with his ever-smiling face and friendly nature, and carried his body
away while the slogan "Long Live Bagha" (Subodh) rented the air.
Com. Subodh
According to the
Magadh Divisional Committee secretary of the CPI(ML) Peoples War this raid was
carried out with four objectives:
1. To protest the
continuous repression campaign by the Bihar police. They had conducted two
ambushes in the year 2001 and had warned the state govt. to stop repression on
the just revolutionary movement under "Operation Special Task Force" or
otherwise face more such attacks. The govt. chose to increase repression further
under the direct leadership of the Joint Operational Command constituted by the
BJP led central govt. The state police was planning to further intensify the
repression by launching Operation Samapan.
2. To protest and
avenge the killing of revolutionaries and general public by the police. This
spate of killings started with the killing of two comrades in October 2001,
including com. Pramod, the commander of a Special Guerilla Squad. This was
followed by the killing of five comrades including com. Arun, area committee
secretary of Karpi. They were killed in cold blood in a fake encounter after
being arrested. Four more comrades were killed in Madanpur of Bhojpur district
after encircling the squad in huge numbers. Even the zonal secretary of the MKSP,
the workers and peasant organization, Com. Surender Bhagat was killed in another
incident of fake encounter. Com. Nizam Sai, an activist was arrested and when he
died during torture by the police it was declared that he died in an encounter.
This fake encounter
spree did not stop with the killing of revolutionaries. Three youth were killed
in cold blood in Patna. Two more were killed in Begu sarai. Three more were
killed in Rohtas. Their brazen killing has enraged the people of Bihar and
resulted in a massive movement.
3. To protest and
resist the plans to launch ‘operation Samapan’
4. To arm the PGA
with enemy’s weapons.
Hearing about the successful seizure
of arms by the PGA, the revolutionary masses were filled with joy while the
reactionaries and the ruling classes were grief stricken. As usual the CPI (ML)
Liberation gave its own unique politically bankrupt brand of reaction. We
present here their reaction-"CPI (ML) Liberation has said that the attack of the
police camp at Bara village by the Peoples War is the result of the alliance
between the Police, Ranvir Sena and the Peoples War. The Patna district office
secretary of Liberation, Gopal Ravidas demanded a probe into this incident to
bring out nexus." (Hindustan 25th Jan. 2003) Perhaps, according to Ravidas, the
head constable Gouri Shanker Singh, who died in the raid had an alliance with
Peoples War to get himself killed and let the Peoples War get away with the
arms.
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