People's Democracy

DYFI Leader Killed By Land Mafia In UP

COMRADE Radhe Shyam Yadav, state vice president of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and Sultanpur district committee member of the CPI(M) was brutally gunned down on September 11 at Rahul Nagar market, district Sultanpur, UP, by elements of land mafia. His cousin Sanjay Yadav was also shot by the attackers. Both of them died while being taken to hospital.

The CPI(M) state secretariat in a statement while strongly condemning the killings has demanded immediate arrest of the killers. The DYFI and SFI central executive committees have in a joint statement strongly condemned the murder of the two activists. A big protest rally was held on September 12 in Sultanpur.

Comrade Radhe Shyam Yadav was leading the struggle against illegal encroachment on government land at Rahul Nagar Bazar. He was a militant worker and leader. Earlier also he was physically assaulted, but not worrying about his personal security he continued the fight against landlords and land mafia. Despite being informed of the open threats being made to these comrades by the land mafia, the police remained criminally inactive in preventing such an attack.

The CPI(M) UP state secretariat felt that the Sultanpur district committee of the Party has suffered irreparable loss in his death. It has conveyed its condolences to the slain comrades’ family members.

The CPI(M) state unit has written to chief minister of UP demanding immediate arrest of the culprits. It hoped that the chief minister will act immediately and get the attackers arrested.

On September 13, 2004 there was the first ever complete bandh in Sultanpur which spilled over to neighouring markets like Rahul Nagar, Akhand Nagar, Dostpur and Kadipur. The bandh was a reaction to the cowardly murder of Comrade Radhe Shayam Yadav, DYFI UP state vice president and CPI(M) district committee member and DYFI comrade Sanjay Yadav, at Rahul Nagar on the morning of September 11, 2004. His funeral on the afternoon of September 12, 2004 saw thousands lining the street when DYFI general secretary Tapas Sinha and UP state secretary Sudhir Kumar Singh led the mourners to the funeral pyre.

The next day saw the first ever bandh in the town. Most of the shops were closed and transport was at a standstill. Even tea stalls were closed. A mass meeting was held in defiance of the police on the national highway. The meeting was presided over by Amibika Mishra, UP state secretariat member of the CPI(M) and was addressed by Mehboob Zahedi, CPI(M) MP, Suneet Chopra, CPI(M) central committee member, Balram Yadav, CPI(M) MLC from Bihar, Narottam Shukla, UP state secretary of AILU as well as district leaders of CPI(M), Samajwadi Party, CPI and RSP.

The bandh was a complete success.

On September 15, the SFI state secretary Prasant Kumar Trivedi and AIDWA all India president, Subhashini Ali, addressed another mass rally demanding the arrest of the criminals who had murdered the two DYFI leaders.

The latest information is that on account of mass pressure the criminals have asked to be allowed to surrender to the police and first arrests will be shortly.