People's Democracy

(Weekly Organ of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)


Vol. XXXV

No. 21

May 22, 2011

Terror Unleashed in West Bengal

 

 

From Our Special

Correspondent in Kolkata

 

A REIGN of terror has been unleashed in West Bengal just after the declaration of election results. CPI(M) and other Left leaders are being attacked, Party offices vandalized, trade union offices burnt or occupied by force, and thousands of Left supporters and workers forced to flee from villages. While there are no signs of spontaneous celebration or any mood of joy among people after the results, Trinamool Congress has begun systematic violence, particularly in the areas where the Left has either won or got considerable votes.

 

WEST MIDNAPORE

In West Midnapore, all-out violence has been let loose. Within 24 hours of declaration of results, armed gangs of TMC attacked Party offices and residences of leaders in Garbeta. Comrade Jiten Nandy, a member of Garbeta zonal committee of CPI(M), has been dragged out of an office in Mayata and brutally beaten to death. Three other members of the local committee were beaten at the same place. Within 48 hours more than 1500 houses were attacked and demolished in Garbeta alone. Nearly 1000 people were forced to flee from villages. In Garbeta, six CPI(M) local committee offices were forcibly closed. Nearly 100 Party branch offices were attacked. Party offices in Keshpur, Chandrakona, Goaltore, Pingboni, Pingla, Narayangarh have been ransacked. Hundreds of villagers have been chased away from these areas. In jangal mahal areas, armed gangs moving on motor bikes attacked villagers in Shalboni, Pirakata, Jhargram rural areas.

 

One of the discernible features of these attacks is the direct involvement of ‘Maoists’, particularly those who are out on bail. Brother of Kanchan, arrested state secretary of ‘Maoists’, led many such attacks. ‘Maoist’ leaders like Dulal Mondal, Chunka Murmu have led attacks in Goaltore. Hardened criminals like Mayna Pathan, Sukur, Tainur were directly involved in the violence in the corridor linking Bankura, Hooghly and West Midnapore. 

 

EAST MIDNAPORE

In Nandigram, CPI(M) district committee member Sujata Maity’s house has been burnt in Reyapara. More than 65 people have been forced to leave under attack. In Khejuri, the first attack was launched in Harijanpally where eight people were injured. Spate of attacks were unleashed in Maishora in Panskura where many Party offices were ransacked. Party offices were also ransacked in Digha, Tamluk, Mugberia, Patashpur. More than 250 Left activists have been injured. The limits to barbarity were crossed when many of those injured were not allowed to be treated in hospitals. 

 

HOOGHLY

In Hooghly district, Party offices were attacked in Goghat, Khanakul, Tarekswar, Purshura, Arambagh. Party leaders were severly beaten in many places. The house of Shubhra Parui, defeated CPI(M) candidate in Khanakul, was attacked by TMC armed gangs. CPI(M) district secretariat member Debu Chatterjee was severely beaten when he, along with others, went to submit a memorandum to SDO. In some areas of the district, crops were damaged and looted. Party leaders were attacked in urban areas like Chinsura, Chandannagore etc.

 

BANKURA

In Taldangra, CPI(M) Shaltora local committee secretary Comrade Ajit Lohar was brutally murdered in Mamra Gharghari village. He was an agricultural labourer and was ill for some time. A group of TMC activists brutally beat him to death. In the same incidence of attack, Samir Nag, CPI(M) Taldangra zonal committee member, was attacked with a chopper. He has been admitted in hospital. Armed gangs attacked Party offices and villages in Patrsayar, Saltora, Jaypur, Ranibandh, Indas and Kotulpur in this district.

 

BURDWAN

The first killing in Burdwan district after the results took place in Hijalna village in Raina. This village witnessed several attacks in the past few months. TMC activists threatened the villagers not to go to polling booths, which was defied by many families. Within 24 hours of TMC victory in the state (Left Front had won in Raina though), TMC activists, including polling agent of the area, used a minor dispute between two families and brutally attacked two women and a girl child. Comrade Purnima Ghorui, a CPI(M) supporter was killed. The deceased was a house maid and hailed from a very poor family. In Burdwan town, veteran CPI(M) leader and former MLA Shyam Basu was attacked in a Party office. He, along with other CPI(M) activists were threatened to leave Party offices, which they doggedly refused. Basu was then hit on his head, others were also beaten up. TMC gangs entered in prestigious Bardhaman Raj College and heckled the principal. They have also demanded thousands of rupees from the examinees who were gathered to get admit cards.

 

In fact, incidents of violence have been reported from all districts. Hundreds have been chased away from villages in Howrah. In Kolkata, many Party offices were attacked in Beleghata and Party leader Amal Khatua was grievously injured. In Kasba, Sufal Purkayat and in Belgachia, Debananda Bhattacharya, both local committee secretaries were attacked. In North 24 Parganas, armed gangs attacked the home of Majid Ali, CPI(M) district secretariat member and beat up his family members also. In Sashan, TMC activists ransacked the residence of CPI(M) local committee secretary Israel Hak and looted everything.

 

“ARMS SEARCH”

To give legitimacy to these heinous attacks, TMC has taken recourse to a campaign of ‘arms search’ in CPI(M) offices. This is being done with the help of a section of media. TMC gangs are attacking or cordoning Party offices and houses of Party leaders by raising false allegations of ‘storing of arms’. In most cases, they themselves are taking responsibility of such a ‘search’. In some cases, when the police reached the place, ransacking had already been completed. 

 

In Haldia, IOC union office was attacked under the same pretext. However, police reached there and nothing has been found. While interrogating, police confronted Sheikh Ali, a TMC activist of Haldia, who admitted that he tried to keep a pistol near the union office as directed by the TMC leaders. In a report in Anandabazar Patrika, spearheading this hate campaign against CPI(M), it was written that ‘ very old and rusted arms’ were recovered. Naturally, a question arises, if CPI(M) activists store arms in their possession, why would they store old and unusable arms? In some cases, CPI(M) leaders were taken into police custody by sheer pressure from TMC though nothing has been recovered from them.

 

ATTACK

ON WOMEN

With the imminent advent of a government, led by a woman, political atrocities against women were triggered off. In a horrifying incident, at least four women were raped in Tegharia village in Minakha of North 24 Parganas. All of them were from minority families. CPI(M) supporters were chased away from the villages and TMC miscreants took the opportunity of absence of men folk and indulged in mass rape. A delegation of Left women organisations visited the village and met the affected families.

 

SPECIAL TARGET:

TRADE UNIONS

In surprisingly fast and planned manner, trade union offices and organisations were ‘occupied’, almost in all districts of the state. In urban areas including Kolkata, taxi, auto rickshaw and rickshaw stands were attacked and TMC flags were hoisted upon. The forced ‘change’ of affiliations is now being attempted. Many trade union offices, even in organised sector, including factories were ‘occupied’ by outsiders. Workers were threatened with dire consequences if they did not follow the diktats. Mamata Banerjee, during her election campaign, had categorically declared that trade unions would be ‘dismantled within a day’.

 

STUDENT

UNIONS

In Kolkata, students’ union rooms in at least four colleges have been forcibly occupied by TMC gangs. Same incidents have been reported from South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Nadia and Burdwan. SFI activists have been barred from entering into colleges. SFI leaders were brutally attacked in many places like in Tehatta, Kalyani University etc.  

 

Though in many places, resistance from the people has forced TMC gangs to step back, the CPI(M) state committee has urged Party activists and people to maintain peace and not to fall prey to any provocation.  It has also asked Left Front activists to mobilise all sections of peace-loving and democratic minded people to defend peace and democracy in the state.