Com. C. P. Gajurel (Com. Gaurav), a senior Politbureau
Member of CPN (Maoist), was captured by the Indian security forces from Chennai
airport while traveling to Europe on August 20, 2003. Though Com. Gajurel was
ostensibly charged with traveling on a fake British passport, which is a very
minor charge according to Indian legal standard, he is still kept in prison in
India. As he faces the real danger of getting extradited to the genocidal royal
regime in Nepal, a worldwide campaign has been launched for his safety of life
and release from captivity at the earliest.
Com. Prachanda, Chairman of CPN (Maoist), issued a public statement on August 23 asking the Indian state to set Com. Gajurel free immediately, as the case against him was not serious and this gesture towards a revolutionary democratic leader fighting against the autocratic monarchy would match with the republican values of India.
Public
statements for safety of life and immediate release of Com. Gajurel were issued
by a number of Parties and organizations throughout the world including the
Committee of RIM, World People's Resistance Movement (WPRM), National
Democratic Front of Philippines, Worker's Party of Belgium, Worker's Communist
Party of Norway, Communist Party (ML)
of Greece, Maoist Communist Centre of India, Coordination Committee of Maoist
Parties and Organisations of South Asia (CCOMPOSA), Revolutionary Communist Party
(Organizing Committee)
(Canada), Partito Comunista Maoista –Italia and others.
In Chennai (India), a "Committee to Save the Life of Nepali Revolutionary Leader C.P. Gajurel" has been formed with A. Rahul, advocate, as its Convenor. The Committee includes People's Democratic Youth Association, Revolutionary Youth Front, Thamilagu Odukkappattor Viduthalai Lyakkam, Communist Party of India (M-L) (Red Flag), Centre for Protecting Civil Liberties-Tamilnadu, Nepalese People's Rights Protection Committee-India and Tamil National Lawyers Centre. The Committee has organized a number of programmes to campaign for Com. Gajurel's freedom, including a massive demonstration in front of Alandur Judicial Magistrate Court on 15.11.2003.
Similarly, a Committee in Defense of C.P. Gajurel has been formed in Delhi. It includes prominent university professors, lawyers, journalists, political activists and well-known personalities.
Also, in Europe and America campaign has been launched in favour of Com. Gajurel's safety and freedom. In Istanbul, Turkey, a protest was held outside the Indian High Commission and a delegation of well-known human rights activists and lawyers met with a representative of the Indian government to convey their concern. The WPRM has organized protests around Europe, and faxes and e-mails demanding Com. Gajurel's release have poured into Indian authorities. WPRM Benelux and STOP USA (a platform of more than 50 groups that helped organize demonstrations against the invasion of Iraq) staged a protest rally in front of the Indian Embassy in Brussels on November 12. A protest letter organized by Nepalese students in Norway was handed over to the Indian Embassy in Oslo, Norway, on November 10.
Meanwhile, Com. Gajurel has been regularly produced in court in Chennai to extend his remand after every two weeks. Com. Gajurel has provided written statement to the Indian authorities about his travel details from Nepal to India and his intended purpose of visit to Europe for regular Party work. This has effectively dispelled a number of concocted rumours about his mission in Europe, the nastiest being his planned talks with King Gyanendra then on a visit to London. He has also refused to accept a humiliating bail offer from the Magistrate's court. However, the real danger of his illegal and motivated extradition to the genocidal royal regime in Nepal still persists and the international campaign, particularly in India, for his safety of life and freedom needs to be accelerated further.
It may be noted that Com. Gajurel is one of the senior most leaders of CPN (Maoist) and is active in the revolutionary movement since the 1970s. He had been very successfully shouldering the international duty of the Party before his sudden capture. He hails from Sindhuli district in eastern Nepal and has a wife, two sons and a daughter.
On February 8, 2004, Com. Matrika Prasad Yadav, Politbureau Member and Com. Suresh Ale Magar, Alternate Member of the Central Committee of CPN (Maoist) were captured by the Indian State and stealthily handed over by night to the royal regime in Nepal. Com. Yadav was a member of the Negotiation Team of the Party headed by Com. Baburam Bhattarai and is the Chief of the recently formed Madhesi Autonomous People's Government. Com. Ale Magar was member of the International Department and active in WPRM. Both are Members of the United Revolutionary People's Council, the embryonic Central People's Government Organizing Committee.
Chairman Prachanda, on February 10, issued a public statement condemning the conspiratorial and illegal manner of their capture and extradition by the Indian state. The statement also calls upon the international human rights and revolutionary organizations to put pressure for the safety of life and freedom of the two important leaders of the movement. ·