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CPI (M) Bares its Fascist Fangs
The Bengali media declared: After three decades, ‘naxalite’ posters
have once again appeared in Presidency College. The historic
Naxalbari revolt is being reincarnated in the new People’s War upsurge
in Midnapore. Also, Siddharth (Shankar Ray) has got reincarnated as the
Buddha (Deb Bhattacharya). The repression unleashed by Buddha’s police
are reminiscent of the dark days of the 1970’s where the midnight knock
meant brutal torture and gruesome murders of some of India’s most
dedicated and talented youth.
The arrests and killing of PW activists, sympathisers and ordinary
villagers of Midnapore and the recent arrest and brutal torture of a PW
leader, some ex-members and a vast cross-section of progressive
intellectuals, in and around Calcutta, indicates that the CPI (M) is
little different from Naidu’s TDP and the fascist BJP. Their only
difference being on the method adopted to maintain the status quo. Yet,
when their power and profits are threatened all bare their fascist
fangs.
For all their progressive mask, there has been an upsurge of
progressive, democratic public opinion against the CPI (M)’s latest
clampdown on the PW and those purported to be linked to it. Not only
have a vast cross-section of people opposed the CPM’s actions, not only
have the major parliamentary parties opposed it, not only have its own
left-Front partners opposed it, but even a section from the
rank-and-file of the very CPM itself has turned against their
leadership. In the face of this opposition, while the Chief Minister,
with one face says he will never repeat the Congress terror of the
1970s, with another he openly says there will be no let up in the
repression.
The Clampdown
Since Sept. last the CPI (M) has brought to Midnapore two crack CRPF
companies, which have been trained in counter-insurgency operations in
North Telangana. They have unleashed a reign of terror over and above
that of the CPI (M) mafia of the region. They have resorted to day and
night combings, arrests, tortures etc. They have shot dead a number of
PW activists in the region and have been harassing ordinary villagers in
the region.
Over 200 villagers have been arrested, of which 26, who they consider as
activists, have been booked in far-away Siliguri, in a method similar to
that adopted by Sidharth Shankar Ray in the early 1970s. Till today they
have not been granted bail. It is feared that once the proposed
preventive detention law, POCO, is passed, many will be booked under
that.
Then on June 20, State Committee member, Com. Gautam and another, was
arrested. This was followed by the arrest of those four who had left the
PW a few months back. After 10 days in police custody they finally got
jail custody on July 2.
It was from July 4 that the police began their mid-might raids on over
75 intellectuals in and around Calcutta. The arrest and torture of
Kaushik Ganguly, professor of Rajabazar Science College, and Abijit
Sinha, central excise officer, is an indication of the extent police
ruthlessness. It is said that the major police actions took place on the
basis of telephone diaries found during the first arrests.
According to family members, Abijit was pulled out of bed, dragged down
the stairs and taken to Baguliti Police station. He was humiliated,
threatened and intensely interrogated. The shrill cries of several other
suspects being tortured in the next room, haunted him for days. He was
only released once his wife, Manasi reached the police station along
with her father, who himself is a senior police officer — DSP (crime) —
in the CID. Traumatized by the experience, on July 7, the 32-year old
Abijit, threw himself under a train, committing suicide. Manasi said, "the
police are behind my innocent husband’s death". His father-in-law,
though a senior police officer, has threatened to take the case to the
National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
Professor Ganguly was not only arrested, he was brutally beaten and
tortured. He was arrested without any warrant and illegally whisked
away. He was taken from police station to police station. A week later
his father stated he did not know the whereabouts of his son. It was
also reported by the PUCL that Ganguly had cigarette burn marks on his
body.
In fact, when the three comrades, Kaushik Ganguly, Tinku Ghosh and
Parashar Bhattacharya complained of torture in the courts, the Midnapore
court directed top forensic experts from leading medical establishments
in Kolkata to examine them and refused to grant further police custody
as requested by the police.
Also the father of Parashar Bhattacharya said that, "the way the
police barged into our house was quite shameful. Out telephone line was
snapped by the police. Till now (July 9) I have no information about my
son".
Together with these actions massive raids were launched in the forests
of Midnapore and Bankura. Yet they have achieved little. In fact,
Additional SP, Anil Srivastava, complained that "We are conducting
operations for the last 8 months, but we are yet to achieve any
significant success as PW’s support base is strong".
In fact, through this entire process the CPI (M) stands the most
discredited, with a mass upsurge of public opinion against it, not only
in the villages but also in Kolkata. Yet, as we go to the press, police
raids are continuing unabted from all parts of West Bengal.
People’s Upsurge against CPM
Teachers, students, employees have taken to the streets to protest
against the wide arrests and torture of Ganguly, Sinha and the others.
Human rights organizations, civil liberty groups, ex-naxalite leaders
and even the major parliamentary opposition have raised their voice.
Besides, the CPI (M) leadership has come under fire from not only its
left-front partners, but even from its own rank-and-file.
On July 7, teachers from Calcutta University submitted a letter to the
Chief Minister demanding Ganguli’s immediate release. On the same day
several college teachers, research scholars and Ganguly’s students
camped in Midnapore town, where the professor had been kept in the
police lock-up. They protested against the torture of Ganguly and said
the police should not misbehave with a brilliant scholar and professor.
An NGO, Liberty for Citizens, threatened to move the state human
rights commission against the alleged torture of Ganguly in the name of
"interrogation".
When Kaushik, Tinku and Parashar were produced before the CJM’s court
amidst unprecedented security, most of the lawyers offered silent
support to the defence council, standing beside them all through the
court proceeding. Kaushik also had the support of his colleagues camping
in the court premises. They distributed copies of a statement by a
Senior Chemical Engineering Professor of Calcutta University, Prof. P.
Ray. The statement certifies that Ganguly is a very good and popular
teacher, an excellent researcher and a very helpful person.
In the city 40 youth Congress workers blocked Bentinck Street-BB Ganguly
Street corss-roads, against Kaushik’s arrest and torture—14 members were
arrested. The Liberation party organized a protest rally from RSM Square
to Lenin Sarani in Kolkata.
The crackdown led to all the small M-L groups uniting under a common
umbrella orgainsation, the Bandimukt Prashiti Samiti, which
demanded the immediate release of all arrested. It also prepared a list
of 300 persons arrested, for their alleged links with the PW, mainly
from Midnapore, Bankura and Purnia. The Committee leader, Imanual Haque,
alleged that the police planned to book all the 300 under the Prevention
of Organised Crime Act, once it was enforced.
Former naxalite leader, who recently snapped ties with the Left Front,
Asim Chatterjee, condemned the arrests saying, "We don’t support the
political beliefs of the PWG, but the way Kaushik Ganguly and other
university teachers were arrested reminded me of the frightful
seventies. I demand the immediate release of Ganguly and others".
Mahadhev Mukherjee stated that the police have remained the same, though
governments have changed.
On July 8, 17 teachers of the Calcultta University and 75 teachers of BE
College (deemed University), Shibpur, in two separate letters to the
Chief Minister demanded Ganguly’s release and punishment of the
tortures. The letter stated "the PW has not been banned in West
Bengal. Every person in a civilized society is legally and morally free
to hold his own opinion and political ideology. These arrests constitute
a gross violation of human rights and remind us of the British Raj as
well as the Siddharth Shankar Ray regime".
All major teachers unions, except the rabid CPM sponsored West Bengal
College and University Teacher’s Association, have come out in
protest against Ganguly’s detention. The Jhadavpur University
Teachers Association criticized the "brash treatment" by the police
of Ganguly. Its general secretary, Tarun Kanti Naskar said, "The
manner in which Ganguly was taken from his house and the atrocities he
is facing in police custody directly violates the fundamental rights of
a citizen. We strongly condemn the illegal arrest of Ganguly and demand
that punishment be meted out to the police officers guilty of torturing
him". The All Bengal University Teacher’s Association also
reacted strongly to Ganguly’s case. Deepak Bannerjee, a senor member of
ABUTA said both JUTA and his union members have written a
protest letter to the chief Minister.
Writers Mahashweta Devi, Sankho Ghosh, Joy Goswami, and actor Soumitra
Chatterjee signed a Public Charter against intimidation and torture in
police custody. The APDR (Association for Protection of Democratic
Rights) planned to release this on July 15. APDR general secretary,
Sujato Bhadra, said, "We have lodged complaints with the NHRC and the
Amnesty International. We are organizing a protest march from college
street to Rani Rashmoni Road".
On July 9, the APDR also met Hoogly SP and lodged an FIR against the
Midnapore (West) Policemen who raided some houses in Uttarpara on the
5th and arrested three youth for their alleged links with the PW. A
protest rally was taken out by the APDR in Hoogly against the police
action, which was joined by leaders of the Forward Block and CPI.
What has disturbed the CPM most is the protests from within its on
ranks, which was most vocal in one of its strongest bastions—Dum Dum. It
is here that Ganguly, Tinku Ghosh and Abijit Sinha have their homes. On
July 11 the Dum Dum unit of the CPM staged a protest, to force the
government to withdraw its repression campaign. The protest was
orgainsed by Paltu Dassgupa, a powerful member of the CPM’s North 24
Parganas district secretariat. He has also called for a protest meeting
on Sunday, July 13th.
In addition, several CPM leaders questioned the manner in which the
police treated Ganguly. It is said that a section are afraid that such "high
handed treatment without documentary evidence" would send the wrong
signals to party sympathizers in the districts and the teachers
‘bodies’. SFI supporters had joined a protest rally by Rajabazar Science
College students demanding the release of their teacher, Kaushik Ganguly.
Voices of Protest also reached the West Bengal State Assmbly, where not
only the opposition, but also the Left Front constituents voiced their
protest against the arrest and torture of intellectuals, while
supporting the government’s repressive campaign against the guerrillas
in Midnapore.
On July 11 both the TMC (Trinamool Congress) and the Congress (I) moved
a no-confidence motion against the Left Front government and staged a
walk-out in protest against the "fascist path chosen by the LF govt.,
as the arrest of Ganguly and others showed". A section of the CPI,
RSP and the SUCI made strongly remarks on the Abijit Affair. The Left
Front partners RSP, FB and CPI demand a front meeting to stop the "return
of the police raj of the early 70s". FB leaders said, "The police
brutality is alarming and should be dealt with firmly at the political
level. The PW’s penetration of the tribals and poor in remote areas
shows our failure to reach them". Some MLAs demanded a judicial
enquiry which was refused by the Chief Minister.
In the face of all this criticism the Chief Minister and CPM state
leadership were adamant. He refused a judicial enquiry and the State
Committee asked the police to step up the campaign against the PW,
terming it an ‘extremist’ organization. They warned their LF partners
and their rank-and-file to tone down their criticism. In fact Left Front
chairman, Biman Basu, was scathing in his attack on those critical of
the repression campaign. The Chief Minister in fact sent crack forces to
Midnapore and openly stated that there will be no let-up in these raids
and arrests of PW sympathisers.
PW’s Answer to the CPM
In the face of this continuing police campaign, and the all-out media
slander by the CPM, the PW finally replied in a statement issued to the
press on July 13, by its Polit Bureau member, Kishan. This statement
stated:
" The attacks on revolutionary
peasants in Midnapore and intellectuals in Calcutta bring back
recollections of the horrors of the early 1970s. Only the players have
changed. Instead of the Congress (I) we have the CPI (M). Instead of
Siddarth ShankarRay we have Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. Though the scale of
the two attacks may, as yet be different, then too, the scale of the
movement is also different. Then, there was a massive upsurge, today,
the revolutionary movement is still in its inception. Yet, the CPI (M)
attacked with a ferociousness that would greatly please the moneybags of
West Bengal, with whom they enjoy a cozy relationship. For all their
pretense at being progressive the style of attack differs little from
the despot Naidu or the fascist BJP at the Centre.
On the one hand the CM says they will not act like the Congress of the
1970s and will deal with the PW politically, and their secretariat
member, Binay Kongar, even goes so far to state that they are ready for
talks. Yet, Kongar accuses the PW of having no policy for land, for
workers, for women, etc, and nothing but an annihilation line. He also
accuses, as to why the PW does not utilise democratic means of protest,
like public meetings, dharnas, rallies etc. On the other hand Buddhadeb
Bhattacharjee has been continuously issuing threats of stepping up the
repression, and have even issued a mandate to their cadres that no
dissent on this issue will be tolerated, as a sizable section of the
rank-and-file of the CPI (M) itself has openly opposed the actions of
its leadership.
The fact of the matter is that the PW has publicly stated policies on
all questions, whether it be on land, workers, peasants, dalits, women,
etc. Many of these were ratified at the 9th
Congress of the Party held over a year back. These are public documents
for all to see. The leaders of the CPM are consciously creating
confusion with a view to dupe the masses and it’s rank-and-file.
As far as ‘democratic’ methods are concerned, the CPM’s Mafia methods of
smashing any opposition threat that grows at the local level is well
known to all. Not only has the PW been facing this onslaught, not only
do the parliamentary opposition face this, but also even their
left-front partners have had to face this bitter medicine. For 25 years
they have ruled through these means, bringing little benefit to the vast
section of the oppressed masses. They brook no opposition whatsoever
So, where is the ‘democracy’ of the CPM? Besides, in this region it is
well known that all the leaders of the CPM, TMC, RSS, are well equipped
with sophisticated arms. This is easily available to them due to their
respective links with the State at the State and Central level. These
were freely used in their own internecine battles; it has also been used
against us. If we did not arm ourselves we would not have lasted in this
area even for a day in the face of these terror methods.
And, as far as talks go, we are always willing but the following minimum
conditions must be met:
(i) The battle for winning the masses must be political
(ii) All CPM leaders, particularly in Midnapore, Bankura and Purlia,
must disband all their arms not only on their persons but also the
stockpiles in their offices.
(iii) Public meetings must be allowed in all villages irrespective of
whether it is a CPM stronghold or not.
(iv) We be allowed to prove in people’s courts the charges against those
who have been killed and against whom the PW has issued a charge sheet.
Thereby being given the chance to refute the propagation being carried
out, of following the ‘annihilation line’.
But the CPM is never serious about the truth being known. The nature of
their present attack, as also their earlier record, proves this. Well
before this attack they have brought to Midnapore two companies of CRPF,
that had gained experience in counter-insurgency in North Telengana.
These have gone on a rampage arresting, torturing and beating the
masses, combined with regular combing operations. Since last September
over 200 have been arrested and all have been refused bail. 26 of these,
whom they considered as active comrades, have been booked in far-away
Siliguri, as a method of harassment; again similar to that adopted by
Siddarth Shankar Ray in the 1970s. Though the arrest and torture of
intellectuals has got extensive media publicity, the terror in Midnapore
is relatively less featured.
Inspite of a wide public opinion against this State terror, the chief
minister keeps harping on his determination to step up the repression. A
section of the media is also assisting the campaign, by propagating that
Maoism, armed struggle, etc are all out-dated in the present days of
globalisation. And that it is better to co-exist with this rotten system
like the CPM.
It is true that communism has faced a temporary set-back, but what has
globalisation given to the people of this country, except destitution
and poverty on a gigantic scale; and an economy that is getting deeper
and deeper into the quagmire of stagnation and depression. Even at an
international plane the massive frauds in the giant TNCs and the
continuing downturn in the international economy, have shaken people’s
confidence in the system. The massive anti-globalisation rallies in all
parts of the world indicate the extent of this discontent. These critics
have no answers to the evils of capitalism/imperialism, particularly in
its present avtar of globalisation. The only answer, still remains
communism. And with State violence reaching new peaks (whether of the US
or the Indian type), there is no other method, but armed struggle to
achieve a just and equitable order. Gandhian passivity in the face of
State terror does not work.
Finally, what the media says is a fact, the Midnapore belt is planned as
a guerrilla zone. Our 9th Congress openly declared
that such backward areas be transformed into Base Areas. But, not to
cause mayhem in Calcutta, as propagated by the media, but to liberate
the local people of the area from the clutches of the exploiters, to
give them the rights over the land, forest and other natural resources,
and establish a genuinely democratic people’s government of the people
in the locality.
This new revolutionary upsurge is taking place jointly with the MCC and
no amount of CPM repression can stop this wave of the masses. Both the
Parties have withstood three decades of repression in other states and
continued to grow, the same will happen in West Bengal."
From Naxalbari to Midnapore
On July 8, the CPM received its answer in the battlefield. On that
afternoon, one of the CPM’s top mafia elements from the Gorbeta region
of Midnapore was shot dead by the PW guerrillas. His guard too was shot
and his revolver seized. The notorious gangster Ajit Ghosh,
secretary of the CPM’s Goaltoun Anchalic Samiti and his guard were
attacked and killed. Ajit Ghosh was also a police informer whose spying
led to the police murder of comrade Subhash Karmakar on June 6. The
latest action came 24 hours after the PW distributed a handbill in the
region warning the government, to either stop arrests, on risk
retaliation. They warned the government to stop the flush-out operations
in Midnapore and the raids in Calcutta. With the CRPF being put on full
alert and special crack police teams being sent to Goaltore, Salboni,
Belpahari and Banshpahari, the CPM is seeking to outdo Siddharth Shankar
Ray’s his terror campaign.
But the PW is resisting the attack in spite of the mass arrests of
villagers, while the CPM leadership is mad with hatred saying the PW
have no policy but violence and the "annihilation line". Even the police
have to admit that, those arrested comprise some of the best
intellectuals. IGP (Western Range), in charge of Midnapore, hesitantly
admitted that "though the arrested persons had brilliant academic
backgrounds that were the trend too, during the turbulent 1970’s".
In fact, a few months earlier a lecturer of nuclear physics at the ISI
(Indian Statistical Institute), Gurupada Kar, was arrested by the
Asansol Police for alleged links with the PW.
Lies, falsehoods and a disinformation campaign have always been the
staple stock of the CPM against the Maoists, from the very inception.
For two-and-half decades after the brutal massacres of the early 1970s
the revisionists have ruled West Bengal like a fiefdom. No opposition
was allowed to grow and the CPM storm-troopers (backed by the police)
would ruthlessly crush any opposition, even that of its own left-front
partners. The APDR has, in fact, documented 7,000 cases of political
killings in West Bengal since the Left Front came to power, and has
demanded of the government to hand over the medical reports of such
cases to the Centre for Culture for Care and Torture of Victims.
It is only now that the PW is becoming a match for it. Though it is just
at its inception, the CPM fears it as it feared Charu Mazumdar and the
earlier founders of the CPI (M-L). They know that it is only the PW, and
other revolutionary parties like the MCC, that can expose its
ideological bankruptcy, its political capitulation, its social
degeneration and its fake Marxism. What is more, it is only the PW, MCC
like forces that can counter the armed goons of the CPM and build true
people’s organization throughout West Bengal.
It was Naxalbari that sounded the clarion call to the oppressed of the
entire country. Midnapore signals a new awakening in the revisionist
marsh that has swamped West Bengal for three decades, killing the fire
and spirit ignited by Naxalbari. With decadence and darkness all around,
West Bengal is once again witnessing light on the horizon.
— Ashutosh
[August, 2002, Peoples March]
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